Chances
by AmoreBella88
Summary: Bella meets Edward in the ER. One funny internal monologue later and she's reduced to a bumbling baboon who's panties are drenched. Her life turns for the better, but can a random chance turn it gruesomely wrong? AH, OOC, cannon couples & later violence
1. Everyone Needs a Beginning

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

XOXOXOXO

Chapter 1: Everyone Needs a Beginning

XOXOXOXO

"_God! I can't believe that I'm still listening to you!" I just had to explode — I couldn't take it anymore. _

"_I've been here far longer than you have, I know a hell of a lot more than you do, and yet you're a manager and I'm just a lowly part-timer! I mean, how stupid could you really be? Each and every day, it seems like even though you were just here, you've forgotten how to do the simplest of things!" I screamed in his face. How could he not understand where this rage was coming from?_

_I took a deep breath, my face turning red from all the yelling. "My word, Galen, how do you expect to be here any longer?! We all know that you talk of leaving at any chance you can get, but are you honestly that sick of being here? Why do you put Jen and me down all the time? You pick on her to fix the easiest things that you could've done yourself and you don't even listen to me!" He'd been silent during my rant. Good, that's what I was aiming for._

"_Just because you're a manager doesn't mean that you don't have to do any work! I know I'm better than you. Jen knows that she's better than you, fuck, even you know that we're both better than you! We could run this store in our sleep! I can't take you anymore! I. Fucking. Quit!" I'd had enough and it was time that he knew it._

"_Oh, and by the way," I leaned in to his face, whispering a menacing tone at him, "I can sing a hell of a lot better than you can any day." _

HOOOOOOOONK!!!

A car horn brought me back from my daydream. My foot hit the accelerator and my truck lurched forward. I blushed and slid slowly behind the wheel, trying to hide from the other motorists.

My God, how I wished that I could do that at work someday. I'd just give my lowly second assistant manager a piece of my mind and quit on him, but I needed the money too much. Sadly, my everyday life was surrounded by dullness, if I quit what else would I do? I had such a fixed schedule that it did me no good to even think of deviating from it.

Get up.

Eat breakfast.

Go to work.

Get home from work.

Eat dinner.

Take a shower.

Go to bed.

And then the next day would start all over again.

I sighed.

Each and every single day that I worked was like this. I only got two days off a week and there were always things that had to be done, so no rest for the poor.

There were more trivial things to worry oneself with, like paying the bills and keeping my apartment clean and, well, other adult life stuff. Friends were low on the list and I hadn't seen any of them since my move from Forks. The only time I heard from someone back there was Charlie in our weekly phone calls, and the last time I talked to a 'friend' it was to wish me good luck with the move. That was two and a half years ago.

Again, I sighed.

I hated the things that put me in this situation.

I felt extremely lucky that I was already done with work and was thankfully on my way home. I'd been working at the same place for a while now, a little shop called Fuego in the mall in Seattle.

We sold all types of novelty items and everything there was eclectic and wild-looking; the jewelry we sold was over-the-top and sparkled in every direction. I loved it there, but after working there for so long, I'd gotten tired of my routine and craved a change. The downside being that no one — and I mean, no one — was hiring at the moment. So I stayed where I was, miserable and alone.

The only thing to make me happy at the moment was that I was driving. I loved driving my old truck, a gift from my father for deciding to move with him when I was younger. It was an old Chevy from the late '50's, rust-colored red with a bulbous cab that seemed to cocoon me in safety. If I'd gotten into an accident with this thing the other driver may not walk away from it, but I sure would.

I always thought that my father's gift was an inside joke, as I'm not the most coordinated person in the world. I'd had so many small accidents as a child that they knew me fairly well at the hospital in Phoenix where my mother would take me. "Oh, Bella fell down the stairs again," or "Bells just tripped over the dog again."

They eventually just stopped asking what had happened this time, sewed me back up, and sent me home with another lollipop. I was happy to say that I grew up a bit and have gotten better at handling myself. Now I only went to the hospital if I knew I needed stitches or something plastered — everything else, I'd learned, I could take care of myself.

I moved into the left turn lane, my signal making a slight ticking noise, and eased my foot onto the brake. I needed to hole myself up in my fortress of solitude for the rest of eternity… or at least until tomorrow morning.

Today had been an unusually long day and anything that could go wrong, did. I was glad that I'd kept my cool during most of my shift, and when the time came that I hadn't kept my sanity, I'd been pretty much alone and able to save myself from saying something completely horrible to someone and getting myself fired.

I'd daydream about actually quitting my job and it made me feel a little better. The one I was just having seemed to be the best ever. I'd been dying to tell my ass of an assistant manager off ever since he started working at our store.

Finally I pulled into my apartment's driveway. The gate was already open from the last car entering the establishment so I just drove right through.

I lived in a pretty nice apartment complex that was only a few years old. The outside walls were light beige and all of the green grass was cut and well-manicured.

I slowly drove down the street, always trying to keep the noise level of my truck on the low end. Finally I pulled into my covered parking spot, glad that I could relax and take a hot shower.

I was situated on the third floor, something that both my father and I didn't like so much on move-in day. But I'd gotten used to it and I didn't trip nearly as often as I used to. My feet dragged up each step, my brain going to reserve power as my routine started taking over.

I quickly unlocked my door and made my way inside, turning off the alarm swiftly and setting my keys down on the table by the door. I leaned back against the door and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Fucking shit." With my 'good-girl' persona, no one would believe I cursed like a sailor. My outburst was nothing out of the ordinary, though — just my relief at being able to relax for the rest of the night.

I headed towards the kitchen. I was absolutely starving. The fridge was close to being empty, something I would have to remedy soon. I wouldn't have anything left to eat. I grabbed some cold cuts and cheese and made a quick sandwich. If I got hungry later, well, that was later and I'd deal with it.

I sat down at the counter that bordered my kitchen with my plate and a small bag of potato chips. I was about to take my first bite when the phone rang.

"Damn it," I groaned.

I picked up the phone, slightly irked at whoever had the balls to call me. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Bells!" _Oh God, not him. Please not again._

"Mmph, hey Jake. What's up?" I tried my best to sound nice.

"Aw, nothing, I was just wondering what you were doing tonight." _Well, at least he's straight to the point._

"I don't have any plans, but I've got tons of shit to do tomorrow. Why?" _Like I didn't know the answer._

"Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to, you know, get together tonight." _Ding, ding, ding!! And a prize for the lady!_

"Ah, sorry to disappoint you, but I have to get an early start and can't really do that if we get together tonight." _Try to let him down gently, Bella, you don't want to hurt his feelings._

"I see, well, that's okay, maybe later." _Was that really disappointment in his voice?_

"Sure, Jake, later." _Now if he'd just let me off the phone, I could get back to my yummy sandwich. _

"So what are you doing now?" My head fell forward in defeat.

Pushing my plate forward, I answered him. "Oh, nothing much, just got home from work, the usual. What about you?"

I tuned him out, not really focusing on him at all. Jacob and I met in high school when I moved in with my father. He went to the high school on the reservation and I went to Forks High, but our paths crossed frequently. My beloved Chevy truck used to belong to Jake's dad, Billy Black. He and my father went way back and were best friends, so whenever they hung out, Jake and I did too.

We got on really well and were best friends before we knew it. A small kind of romance bloomed between us and we decided to test the waters of dating one another. Whoa, was that a big mistake. He fell head over heels, while I fell. Period. There was no spark for me. Even though he said that I was his whole world, I just saw Jacob. Yes, he was my best friend, but nothing more than that.

When we broke up, it broke his heart. He didn't understand that I just didn't feel _that_ way about him. I loved him, yes, but not the way that he loved me. It just didn't feel… right.

We didn't really speak to each other after that. That is, until a few months ago. He'd called me out of the blue, hoping that we could get together and just hang out. Of course he acted all lovey-dovey and shit, holding my hand and putting his arm around me whenever possible.

I didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. It made him happy and it wasn't like anyone was vying for my affections. As long as he didn't kiss me, things would be okay. And so far, he hadn't even tried.

I was startled by a knock on my door. "Uh, Jake? There's someone at the door, I have to go."

"Oh, okay Bells, talk to you later. Bye."

"Yeah, bye." I hung up the phone quickly and proceeded cautiously to the door. I'd been living in the same apartment for two and a half years and the only time anyone had ever knocked on my door, it was the UPS man who had accidentally gotten the wrong building. Once.

"Uh, who is it?" I asked, wondering why there weren't any peepholes in doors anymore.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" A young voice said.

I mentally checked myself. _Yes. Isabella Marie Swan, born September 13__th__, twenty years old and living by herself. _"Yes, who is it?"

"Lady, my mom just told me to bring you your mail. I guess it was put in ours on accident."

I nodded.

_Like he can see me,_ I remembered a second later.

I chuckled to myself quietly and opened the door to find a little boy, twelve possibly, with red, curly hair. He was kind of adorable with freckles all over the bridge of his nose. He grinned up at me and his blue eyes shined.

"Here," he said while handing me an envelope.

"Thanks kid." He nodded and trudged back down the stairs. I looked down at the envelope in my hands. It was standard enough: name, address, the whole spiel.

I waited until I was inside to open it. What intrigued me was that there was no name with the return address and everything was hand written on it.

I quietly locked the door behind me and went back to the counter to try to eat my sandwich again.

After my first bite, I took the envelope in my hand and ripped it open, shaking the letter out from within.

My eyes scanned the letterhead, unsure of what I was actually seeing.

"Dear Miss Swan, It is our pleasure to inform you that you have qualified for our final round of contestants in this year's literary works contest. It is a privilege above all others that you have come this far. To complete the next advancement, we require you to submit another article of literary prose that you have not had published by another company. The deadline is November 21st, 2009. We have included a fully-paid return envelope. Please remember to include three copies, as well as this updated entry form. We look forward to hearing back from you. Sincerely, Joan Ruthersford, Budding Author's Club Associate Manager." I set the envelope down and took another bite of my sandwich, confused.

Since my move away from my father, I'd taken to writing to calm myself down and to reflect on things. I'd always been a quiet person, thanks in large part to my father's genetic tendencies, and didn't really communicate with others too voluntarily.

I'd accidentally left one of my writings at work one day. My coworker had found it after I'd left and sent it in to some contest she'd heard about. I guess this is the result of it.

It should have been good news, should have been something to get my heart racing. I should have been running to the phone right now to call my parents, but I didn't. I didn't feel anything close to happy or excited and that made me wonder where the spark of life inside of me had gone.

What in the hell was wrong with me?

I didn't see any of my friends any more, not since the move here at least. Now I just lived a little too far away for 'convenient' visits. Of course there were the people that I worked with, but they were just coworkers and we never hung out together outside of the workplace.

I needed some new people to be around, I needed to make new friends and do new, exciting things. I wondered where I could find some, or even if I could…

I pushed my conversation with Jake to the back of my mind, throwing it in with the other conversations that were exactly the same. 'Hey, wanna get together tonight? No? Alright, I'll try tomorrow…' It was exhausting, really. I finished my sandwich quickly and put my dishes in the sink, headed toward my bedroom and went into the attached bathroom. While undressing, I looked myself over in the mirror. I wasn't completely horrible looking, but I wasn't extraordinary either. My long, dull brown hair had gentle curls through it and my brown eyes seemed to make my face look sunken in. My skin was almost translucent, a joke I often told as, "I'm so white, I glow in the dark." End of story, close the book, roll the credits, and leave the theater. Goodnight folks, it was a pleasure.

My breasts weren't abnormally large or so tiny that you'd call them mosquito bites, they were firm and rounded. I loved them every once in a while, when they weren't complete nuisances. They led the way to my 'not-quite-flat' stomach. What could I say; I liked to actually eat every day. And then my legs started. I was short, but not unusually short. Seeing as everyone seemed to stop growing at 5'5 now-a-days — well, at least the people I knew — I was normal.

It only took two seconds to have a complete picture of boring. Look it up in the dictionary if a direct visual was needed.

I started the water for a shower, contemplating a bath to relax my muscles, but decided that I didn't want to be pruney for the rest of the night. After a moment, the water turned a delicious temperature and I stepped inside, closing the curtain behind me. I dipped my head under the spray and ran my fingers through my quickly soaked tendrils.

Being in the water had always calmed me ever since I was a baby, "Oh goodness, Bella's having a tantrum, put her in the sink." My mother loved to retell each memory of me like that, no matter who she was telling it to. Jake had done everything in his power to get me into the water whenever possible. I suppose he always thought that it would soften me up to him. Oh, how wrong he was.

I ran some shampoo through my hair, strawberries and cream today, and rinsed off the excess of another day gone by. At least tomorrow was Friday, Payday to be more precise, and to make it even better, I had it off. It would have made me downright giddy if I'd actually had plans for Friday night, but I didn't and I was more than pleased that I'd have it off at all. _If it was nice, like the weather forecaster had said, maybe I'd go to the park and relax in the sun,_ I thought.

With the shampoo completely out of my hair, I squeezed in some conditioner and reveled in the silky-smoothness it made of my hair. The water cascading with the runoff of the conditioner down my back and over the round fullness of my bottom was entrancing to even myself. I could only imagine what a pair of male hands would do to me inside the shower. Wetness appeared between my thighs that had nothing to do with water. I groaned.

Perhaps getting myself off would help me relax further and get me to sleep earlier than I usually did after a long day of work. I snorted; _it would take way too much energy to even think about that at the moment._ So once the conditioner was out of my hair completely, I finished scrubbing the day from myself and turned the water off.

There are times when I loved living alone, and others that I really wish that I didn't. This was one of the times that I didn't. In between the time that I'd gotten into the shower and now, the world had turned black. And I'd forgotten to turn any other lights on in the apartment. _Shit._

I always, _always_, ended up bumping into something and either falling, stumbling, or crashing into something else and making the biggest mess of broken things ever known to man. And it seemed like tonight would be no different. Just as I was taking my first step into my bedroom, it all happened.

Jiminy fucking Christmas! How was it that I ended up tripping over a shoe, stumbling into my closet, breaking the wooden rack holding all of my hanging clothes, AND getting hit over the head with said rack that fell down, bringing all of my clothes along with it? I was a crumpled heap on the bottom of my closet, my damp towel clinging to my body. I assessed the damage as one hand was on my head to see if it was bleeding, and the other was trying to move my ankle to see if I'd broken anything.

The back of my head stung like a son of a bitch, but it was nothing compared to my ankle, which was starting to throb painfully.

I didn't need a broken ankle; that would be completely horrible timing. A broken ankle at work meant that the managers wouldn't give me any hours at all until it was fully healed. I'd hoped that I'd just sprained it really bad and that I could still walk on it lightly, but I'd need a trip to the hospital to have them double check for me. I thanked my lucky stars that it was my left ankle that was causing me pain; if it was my right, I'd have to call an ambulance and that was something I definitely did not want.

I hadn't been to the ER in a few years; I suppose I was past due to return.

I crawled out of the closet, wondering why again, for the fifteenth time, I didn't have a door for the damn thing. _Oh, right, it was a studio apartment, no doors except for the front door and the bathroom door._ Only because I needed to save as much money as possible had I chosen the studio floor plan. It flowed nicely, not too many odd corners, except to block off the bedroom for privacy's sake.

I was fortunate that I had this apartment actually — my father was old fishing friends with the owner of the complex and he'd owed my father big time for some small traffic violation that my dad had looked the other way on. Once.

It was the only time I'd ever heard of my father looking the other way for any cop-related thing.

I'd asked him what had happened and Charlie, being his usual self, muttered something about deserted woods, a car, and the friend's new girlfriend. Then he turned bright red.

_Yeah, I got my embarrassment gene from Charlie alright…_

So because of that one favor Charlie was owed, I was able to stay at my lofty apartment for a _lot_ less money than anyone else who had the same thing. Don't get me wrong, it was pricey, but I wouldn't be able to afford it if I wasn't getting the discount.

So not getting hours at work would be a bad, _bad_ thing.

Once I reached the bed, I used it to pull myself up, testing my weight on my ankle with something to at least hold onto. I almost crumpled back to the floor in pain. _Oh yeah, something wasn't right._ I hopped to the dresser that was near my bathroom, opening it up and pulling on a ratty old t-shirt that I'd slept in more times than I could count. I contemplated what I should put on my bottom half, again going with comfort as I pulled out a pair of baggy sweats. I maneuvered my throbbing ankle through the pant hole, wincing in pain as I straightened it to pull the fabric up.

With those successfully on, I found some flip-flops and hobbled back to the bathroom to pull a brush through my wet hair.

I turned off the light and rested my hand on the wall to steady myself as I limped past the offending shoe and made my way to the front door.

XOXOXOXO

I was in pain. Humongous pain. I mean, I'd done some painful things and I'd never been in _this_ much pain before. I had somehow miraculously gotten myself down the stairs without hurting myself any further and now I was in my truck, practically racing towards the ER. My uninjured foot inched farther down on the pedal, making my truck barrel down the highway. The whine of the engine didn't even faze me like it usually did. If I didn't get any pain medication _NOW_, then someone was going to get hurt.

Every stop sign seemed to mock me. _Ha ha, you've got to wait. Always yield to the traffic on the right, Bella. Red means stop! No rolling stops either! You must stop completely and then proceed if traffic is clear! Completely unacceptable! You're lucky there isn't a cop nearby to see this, young lady!_ Charlie's voice was inside my head. Being the Chief of Police in a small town didn't matter, he was still a policeman and the law is the law, he always made sure to tell me.

Thankfully it didn't take me much longer to reach the hospital, and I parked my truck near the emergency entrance. I hopped towards the sliding doors and felt a wave of relief wash over me. There seemed to be only a handful of people already in the waiting area. I hobbled up to the receptionist.

"Hello there, what seems to be the problem tonight?" she asked.

I blushed, an involuntary action that happened when anyone talked to me, it seemed. "Well, I tripped and twisted my ankle pretty bad. I think it might be just a sprain, but it never hurts to check." I conveniently left out the fact that I'd tripped over a shoe in the dark. _They didn't need to know the completely stupid reason I'd fallen,_ I thought. She told me to take a seat in front of her and took my insurance card and I.D., typing everything into the system. I was grateful that I was still on my father's insurance; I always seemed to need it.

I wondered about the woman sitting in front of me. She was older, I'd imagined somewhere around forty, and was slightly plump. She wore glasses and her hair was piled on top of her head, platinum blond and curled everywhere. I wondered what made her choose this profession and how long she'd been there. Her miniscule desk area was piled with little trinkets that seemed to emanate happiness and, well, pinkness. God, how I hated the color pink.

After she took all of my information, she directed me to the waiting area and I was grateful to find that at least one person had already left, leaving only two people ahead of me. I settled into a chair and scanned my surroundings. Generic white walls with hopeful, yet subtly Christian-influenced paintings, _check._ Vending machines hidden behind a recessed wall, staying out of the limelight, _check._ A television in the corner playing some old reruns of _Bonanza_, _check._

I let out a small breath and leaned my head back against the wall, the back of the chair being too low to reach my skull.

I could've dozed for a few minutes, I don't remember how long it was, when a young brunette nurse called me back. She seemed to be around my age but the complete opposite of me. Where I rarely did my hair and make-up, she probably woke up two hours early just to get them all done perfectly. She was one of those kinds of females where everything is based on looks. Amazingly, she was peppy and all smiles, odd behavior for someone at nine o'clock in the evening. She told me her name was Jessica, and that she'd be taking up my chart to get me ready for the doctor. She held out her arm to help me hobble along beside her. Thankfully the exam room wasn't too far away and I sat down on the exam table as gently as I could.

"Now tell me Isabella, how did this happen?" She asked bubbly, I wondered if she'd taken a dose of that Five Hour Energy crap.

"It's Bella actually, please call me Bella. I was coming out of my bathroom and didn't see a shoe in front of me, I suppose. I ended up falling into my closet and twisting my ankle in the process, a wooden rod fell on my head, but it doesn't really hurt."

_Anymore_, I added as an afterthought.

She let out a little snort that I pretended not to hear, but my blush betrayed me, alerting her to my embarrassment. "Sorry, but it is a little funny. What's your level of pain for your ankle at the moment? One being the lowest and ten being the highest." She looked up at me from her writing.

I thought for a second. "About an eight." She nodded her head and wrote it down on my file.

"What about your head? Your vision isn't impaired at all? No dizziness?" She went back to the chart, awaiting my answer.

"That's like a four; all I've really got is a headache," I answered, looking down at the ground. She nodded her head and again wrote it down.

"Alright, a doctor should be with you in a few minutes." She smiled and turned on her heel, exiting the exam room with a bounce in her step.

I sighed as I eyed the room, thinking about taking a peek into the drawers. I was always surprised at what I'd found in them; extra gloves, sometimes some sterile-looking equipment. Mostly they just had gowns and band-aids inside of them. I felt like this hospital was just the same as all of the others that I'd been to. I used the table to slip off my flip-flops and swung my uninjured leg back and forth gently to release some stress.

A light knock on the door brought me out of my contemplations and memories, and then it opened to reveal a stunning man in a white coat.

He should have been an actor.

Shit, he should have been a model.

Anything _but_ a freaking doctor.

I held back a gasp, he was gorgeous! I'm not into older men, but this one definitely stood out. I wanted to ask him where he was from so that I could get me one of him, or ask if he had any sons that were my age. Fuck, even a long lost brother twice removed would do.

His gold hair glimmered in the florescent lights, waving gently to one side as his hazel eyes found me on the table. His light skin looked washed out in contrast to his white doctors' coat, and a light blue button up shirt made him look like he was glowing.

And then he smiled. I was caught off guard by the movement of his lips pulling back to flash me his perfectly straight, white teeth and took in a ragged breath. I'd seen this man for all of two seconds and my heart was hammering in my chest. I hoped he didn't hear it.

For the second time tonight, I asked myself, what the fuck was wrong with me?

He walked two paces inside the room and then Jessica was behind him. She must have seen me ogling this beautiful specimen of a man, because she grinned at me and rolled her eyes playfully.

I shook my head to get the fog out of my brain as he extended his hand out to shake mine.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan, I'm Dr. Cullen, and I'll be taking care of you tonight." His voice sounded as smooth as butter, and I melted slightly.

"He-hello," I stuttered out, reaching his hand and shaking it. _Shit, that's all I can come up with? 'Hello.' LAME!_

He sat down on a small stool and rolled over to the table where I was situated. "So I hear that you twisted your ankle pretty badly. Let's take a look, shall we?" he said in that same smooth voice.

I silently thanked God that I'd had the foresight to shave my legs this morning; Lord knows I didn't want him to see me bruised and hairy.

I raised my left leg a little bit and pulled my pant-leg up, revealing my already swelling ankle. He tenderly brought his hands up to my calf and felt around the muscle, and as he got closer to my foot, I hissed in pain and winced.

"Well, you've clearly done a number on it. Can you wiggle your toes for me?"

I did so, wincing yet again, and took a sharp intake of breath as he began to rotate my foot. "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Shit!" I muttered painfully under my breath. He looked up at me and nodded, letting me know that he'd heard me. I smiled timidly back.

"Well, I don't think it's broken, but we'll have to take an x-ray to be sure. Now what about your head? Still have that headache?"

_What headache?_ I wanted to ask as his fingers went to work on my skull. I wanted to pay him for the massage that he was giving me, not for treating my injuries. But as he reached the back of my head, I winced slightly — a knot had formed and it was a little tender to pressure.

He removed his hands from my head and pulled out a tiny flashlight from his shirt pocket. He held the flashlight in front of my eyes and waved one finger of his other hand in front of my face. "Just go ahead and follow my finger, dear." _Well shit, he called me dear, that just blows up everything! Not that it really mattered, what was he…thirty, forty-something? Ah, now I see the wedding band. Nice call there, Bells, way to see that one coming,_ I thought as my eyes tracked his finger from one side to the other, then up and down. He flicked off the light and placed it back inside his pocket.

"I don't see anything wrong with your head Ms. Swan, but to be on the safe side, we're going to x-ray that as well. After those are done, I'll come back and finish talking with you."

"Bella, please call me Bella," I said as I nodded at his statement. I was ready to get my x-ray taken and get out of there.

He turned and spoke to Jessica, who I'd completely forgotten was there. "Make sure Bella gets those x-rays and then I'll be back." He smiled once more at me and then left the room.

My eyes followed him as the door clicked shut. I don't know what expression was on my face, but I heard Jessica laugh softly. I blinked.

"It's okay; he has that effect on every female here. Shoot, even a few guys too. But, sadly, he's happily married," she said conspiratorially. She giggled and held out her arm again for me to take. She helped me slide off the table and slip into my shoes, then led me to a wheelchair that was waiting outside the room.

She gossiped while she wheeled me towards radiology. Apparently Dr. Carlisle Cullen had been the Chief ER doctor at Seattle Memorial Hospital for the past ten years, donating and researching all throughout that time. He was a prominent figure in Seattle, everyone loving him and his family. She told me that he came from money and that he didn't really need to work, but he loved it so much that he couldn't find it in himself to stop.

She gushed about how much he loved his wife and son, how whenever he talked of them, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. His beautiful wife, Esme, was a well-established interior decorator. Her work was photographed in every issue of Better Homes & Gardens. They'd been together for the last twenty-five years, extraordinary in contrast to the climbing divorce rate in our country. Their son, Edward, often volunteered at the hospital, interacting with elderly patients and helping in the pediatrics ward whenever his schedule allowed. He was at UW studying music and business. She also mentioned the fact that, like the good doctor, Edward was ridiculously attractive and _everyone_ wanted in his pants. She laughed at a particular memory, saying that there was this nurse who had tried to get Edward's attention once.

I looked at her in confusion.

"Oh, let me explain the entire story! See, Dr. Cullen had been here for a few years, and so everyone knew him pretty well when Edward started volunteering. We were in our senior year of high school so he only came by once a week, always on a Wednesday."

I nodded, showing her that I was following her story.

"And this one Wednesday we were up in the cafeteria when one of the long-time nurses came up to grab him for his father. Turns out that Carlisle didn't really need him, but Burt had dragged Edward into the nearest janitor's closet and practically attacked him!" I snorted, but she continued her story as if she hadn't heard me.

"When that door opened, man oh man, it was priceless! I don't think I've seen Burt run so fast in my life! But you wanna know the best part? Edward's face when he left the closet. I swear to God, he was scared senseless!"

By now Jessica had tears in her eyes as we came to a halt in front of the radiology desk. She handed my paperwork to the person behind the desk and turned back to me, "I have to run back to the ER, but I'll see you once you get back from taking your x-rays." She smiled brightly and I smiled shyly back, glad that I was getting away from her for a few minutes at least.

I'd only just met her and my ears felt like they were going to fall off.

I was glad that the technician, Angela, was very quiet and calm. I liked her so much better than Jessica, and she hadn't even said anything. Where Jessica looked like she was trying to be noticed by everyone, Angela was more laid-back and natural. Her light brown hair made her face radiate serenity and happiness. She asked the obvious question of how I had ended up there, and instead of snorting like Jessica had, Angela just grimaced and said, "I see."

"This kind of thing happens to me a lot," I told her glumly as she started setting up the machine.

"You trip over stuff a lot?" she clarified.

"Yeah, I'm just way too clumsy for my own good. You wouldn't believe how many times I've been to the ER in my life," I explained, laughing softly.

"I understand. I'm kind of the same way, though I manage to save myself usually."

"I wish I could save myself. I'm in big trouble if it's broken though," I said sullenly.

She looked at me curiously. "Why is it big trouble?"

"Well, I work at the mall, and if I'm incapacitated by a broken ankle then I won't get shifts and no shifts means no money. You know how it goes from there…" I trailed off.

She nodded in understanding as she finished setting up and told me to roll the pant-leg of my sweats up. I toed off my shoes again and got comfortable. After I was situated on the table, she went into the next room and started the machine; it clanked as it took the images of my ankle.

Angela came back into the room a few minutes later, apparently satisfied with the images taken. She smiled and winked at me, a sign I took as an 'all clear' that my ankle wasn't broken.

The smile on my face was huge; I could feel it in my ears. Her gestures made my system calm down from the panic that was taking residence in my brain.

She smiled warmly again and offered her hand to help me off the table. She handed me my shoes and I slipped them on again, wincing as I wiggled my toes on my bad ankle.

"I see that Dr. Cullen wants you to have a head x-ray as well. That's a different machine, so you can either hop back in the wheelchair or hobble a few feet into the next room. It's totally your call."

I thought for a moment and then decided that I wanted to stay away from Jessica for a few more minutes. "I'll hobble, thanks."

She nodded her head in understanding and gripped my arm as I eased off the table, putting most of my weight onto my good leg.

"So where do you work?" she asked me as we started heading out of the first room.

"At the mall, a store called Fuego."

"Oh! I love that store! Do you like working there?"

"It's alright. I've been there for so long that I'm ready for a new change in job scenery, if you know what I mean."

"Gotcha. You know, I didn't always want to be an x-ray tech. Before this, I wanted to be a caterer. But whiny customers all the time would've gotten on my nerves, and I needed something else to get me going in the morning. A friend of mine decided to go out for the nursing program at U-Dub, so I went with her. It was then that I decided that sick people make me, well, sick, so I thought that studying x-rays would be a nice way to settle both. You know, helping people without really touching them."

I was silently happy for her. She'd gone from the same situation that I was in to a completely new one that she enjoyed. I'd only known the woman for all of five minutes and I was pleased that her life was going well. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped that we'd be able to keep in contact. She'd be a really good friend, I could tell.

She got me situated into the next machine and before I knew it we were out of there and on our way back to the ER.

"So what happened to your friend?" I asked her as we wheeled out of the radiology doors.

"Hm? Oh, she's a nurse at the ER. I think you've already met her though, her name's Jessica."

"Oh, that's nice." I didn't think that Angela and Jessica would be that close as friends. They seemed to me like they were two different kinds of people.

"I know, she's a little much at times, but she's a pretty good person once you get to know her." I blushed in embarrassment, I hadn't thought that Angela had taken my 'oh, that's nice' for more than it really was. _Busted._

The rest of the trip passed in comfortable silence, and before I knew it, we were back in the room where I saw Dr. Cullen.

"Well, it was nice to meet you; I hope it's not a break." She extended her hand and helped me out of the wheelchair.

"It was nice to meet you too," I returned as I got situated on the table. "I hope I don't have to come back," I joked.

She laughed lightly as she left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Again I sat there, contemplating taking a look inside of the drawers; this room didn't have any magazines for me to look at.

I gingerly got up from the table and hopped my way over to the door so that I could peek out into the ER waiting room. I had the tendency to watch people and ask myself what they were really thinking of when I got seriously bored.

The room I was in was situated in front of the nurse's desk, where a few of the nurses were seated and typing away at computers while a few others were walking around and talking with each other. I saw Jessica and another woman, who was dressed nicely, talking in a hallway near the station. She was strawberry blonde and beautiful, tall and elegant. Her demeanor exuded money and high society life. I briefly wondered about their conversation; it seemed as though they were gossiping about someone.

I was never one to get into gossip — it always just created more drama than necessary and it always ended in pain and suffering.

I looked in the other direction and my heart stopped.

'_Haaaaallelujah'_

He was walking in slow motion towards the nurse's station. My world slowed down as he walked in front of my exam room. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen in my entire life. More gorgeous than Dr. Cullen, and that in itself was saying something. His bronze hair was sticking up in all kinds of chaotic disarray. It was sex hair, THE sex hair.

'_Haaaaallelujah'_

It looked amazing on him. His nose was straight and his eyes were the most brilliant shade of emerald green that I'd ever seen. He was looking straight ahead, not paying any attention to the now-devoted servant tracking him with her eyes as he walked by her exam room.

'_Hallelujah'_

He had a strong, chiseled jaw, and his lips, oh God, his lips! They were full and just begged me to run my fingers over them time and time again. My lips actually burned as I watched him form a lopsided grin at something amusing.

'_Hallelujah'_

His body made my knees weak. He wore a dark grey polo shirt that defined all of the muscles in his chest but was loose enough to not be too clingy. His legs seemed to go on forever in the khaki pants he was wearing. I could've sworn that I'd seen him in a Ralph Lauren ad, or was it Tommy Hilfiger?

_Oh Lord, I think I just came a little bit. _

I whimpered.

Out loud.

And I didn't care.

'_Halleeelujahh'_

How was it that this God of a man was just walking through the ER at this time of night? He had to be working there — he wasn't limping or stumbling or bleeding from anywhere that I could see. And believe me, I was checking him out thoroughly. Finally I noticed the badge on a lanyard around his neck, and in bright vivid red letters was the word 'VOLUNTEER.'

Time resumed as he finished passing my room and I took an unsteady breath in. Somehow in the last minute or so that I was ogling him, I had forgotten to breathe entirely and my head had begun to swim. I nearly swooned at the sight of a man! How fucking corny is that? I let the breath out and my mind returned to normal. I'd completely forgotten about the pain in my ankle as I watched his ass in those pants. Someone could've amputated and I wouldn't have noticed.

Did I somehow end up going to that hospital that was on Grey's Anatomy? Did I drive myself to the wrong fucking hospital? My doctor was McGorgeous, and here I am staring at McPerfect. What the Hell? Did everyone who works at this hospital look like this? Jessica and Angela were both pretty in their own right, but I think as a girl I was being biased.

I watched as he approached Jessica and the mystery woman and began talking with them. Jessica seemed just as mesmerized as I was, though the blonde was openly flirting with him. She was touching his arm and laughing way too much.

Jessica saw me standing in the doorway and said something to the other two. I saw the blonde wave a hand in dismissal and the beautiful man nodded as Jessica started walking towards me.

I gave her a hesitant smile as she reached the door. "Dr. Cullen told me to get you some pain medication when you got back from taking your x-rays. Are you on any medications now?"

"I'm on the pill, but other than that I don't take anything regularly."

She nodded and continued, "Did someone drive you here? Or did you drive yourself?"

"I drove. Didn't want to call an ambulance for a sprained ankle, you know?"

"True, now that would've been embarrassing. I'll let Dr. Cullen know that you're back and he should be in with you in a few minutes." I nodded my head and hobbled back to the table to sit down as she left to get me some medication; I wasn't sure how my knees had carried me so far, they felt like Jell-O.

My mind was like a movie reel, images of that handsome man played over and over again in my head as if on a loop. I briefly wondered if that stupid 'Hallelujah' song had really been playing or if I was seriously delirious from that bump on the head. _Maybe I should visit the loony wing since I was already here…_

She came back in a minute later and handed me a paper cup with water in it and a small cup with two little white pills inside.

"Here, these should help with your headache as well as the pain in your ankle. It won't knock you out or anything so you'll be fine to drive home. Dr. Cullen's probably going to give you a prescription for something stronger though, so you can get that filled tomorrow. He's finishing up with something out there and will be in with you next. Is there anything that you need?"

I shook my head no, but at the same time my mouth had other ideas. "Who is that guy I saw you talking to?"

She smiled a devious smile and bent closer to my head as to not be overheard. "_That_, my deary, is Edward Cullen."

I gulped. Suddenly my insides didn't feel so good.

"An-and, who, who is the girl overly flirting with him?" Why in the world was I worried about a man I didn't even know? How was it that in the span of two minutes I'd gotten my hopes up incredibly, stupidly, high?

She rolled her eyes. "That is Tanya Denali, his fiancé."

I was going to throw up.

On Tanya's expensive, sparkly shoes.

A lot.

About a minute after Jessica left, Dr. Cullen came in and took a seat on one of the vacant chairs, facing me.

"Well, I've taken a look at your x-rays and it appears that your head is fine and nothing is broken." He shot a quick smile in my direction. "Instead of a break, you've got a serious sprain; you're going to have to take it easy on that foot for a couple of weeks until it completely heals. I don't want you to put all of your weight on it at all, no heavy lifting, and absolutely no running or jumping or any physical kind of activity like that. Do you understand?" He'd taken an ace bandage out from one of the drawers in the room and started unrolling it.

"Yes, but could I get a note from you to give to my work? I don't want them to think that I'm making anything up."

He nodded. "Absolutely, I'm very glad that you're being responsible about all of this. But I was wondering why no one else brought you in; surely one of your friends could've helped you out." He spoke as he started winding the bandage around my ankle and foot.

"Sure, if all of my friends didn't live in Forks. It's a little bit of a drive just for a sprain."

"Oh I see, so I take it that you've just moved here?"

_What was up with all the third degree?_ I raised an eyebrow without thinking and replied, "Mmm, nope. Been living here for about two, two and a half years now."

"And none of your neighbors could've helped?" He had finished wrapping my ankle and was sitting there, asking me these odd questions.

"Actually, the apartment across from mine has been empty for the past few months. And I honestly don't have the time to get to really know the rest of my neighbors. Been too busy trying to live, if you know what I mean."

"Alas, I do. Now you said that you live in an apartment? You wouldn't by any chance happen to live on the ground floor, would you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

I snorted in earnest, "Of course not. Third floor, all the way at the top."

"How in the world did you get down the stairs?! Weren't you in pain?"

I thought back to how I'd gotten myself down the stairs in the first place. "Well, I kind of just hopped down them and used the railing for leverage. And then I prayed that I didn't face-plant."

Dr. Cullen laughed and thought for a moment. "Alright, this is what we're going to do. First, I'm going to get finished with your paperwork and sign your discharge papers. Then, since you're my last patient of the night, I'll follow you home and have my son help you up the stairs. We drove in together today, and I'm sure he'd be happy to help you. He can even drive your car for you."

I felt my trademark blush creep up my cheeks and stuttered, "Oh n-no, I'll be fine Dr. Cullen. I-I promise. I just ne-need my note and then I can drive myself home. I-It's not that far."

"Even better! Bella, there's no way you'll be able to get up three flights of stairs by yourself. Honestly, you look like you're exhausted and in need of a good night's sleep."

I thought about it for a moment, completely taken aback by this total stranger's generosity. I slumped by shoulders forward in defeat. "Alright, if it's doctor's orders."

"Excellent, I'll just finish up and have Jessica escort you to the front of the ER entrance." He got up from the chair and left the room.

I sat there, wallowing in my lame excuse for getting out of a completely hot doctor's nice favor, when it hit me.

"_I'll follow you home and have my son help you up the stairs."_

"…_have my son help you up the stairs."_

"…_my son…"_

Oh good Lord, I was about to meet Edward Cullen.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Huge thanks to Ellie and Amelia for looking over my work and for being the greatest betas ever! To my mother, who's always believed in me, thank you.

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	2. What To Do About Nothing

Chapter 2: What to Do About Nothing

XOXOXOXO

Deep breath in…deep breath out.

How was I supposed to keep myself from having a panic attack in front of this beautiful creature of a man?

Dr. Cullen had left me on the table to wait for Jessica to return with a wheelchair. I was pretty sure that as soon as I saw Edward again, the already noticeable wet spot in the crotch of my sweats would be particularly easy to see.

By anyone.

Within a ten mile radius.

That's how soaked a glimpse of him had gotten me.

I could already imagine the red flame of my embarrassment on my cheeks as he helped me into the cab and saw the wet spot on my sweats in front of him. He'd probably think that I'd wet myself or some kind of idiotic shit like that.

Imagine what I would be like in the same truck as him, mere inches between us. He probably smelled like Heaven mixed with a little bit of Hell.

Because isn't that what all gods were, a mixture of divinity and sin?

I couldn't think on it any longer, however, for at that moment Jessica came in with a wheelchair in hands and a grimace on her face. I opened my mouth to ask her what was wrong but decided against it at the last minute.

"Well, here you are, Bella. We'll get you situated here and then you'll be on your way home." She handed me a few sheets of paper to stow away in my pocket and then helped me down from the table and into the chair. She didn't say a word as she wheeled me out to the front of the E.R. doors.

"You wouldn't mind sitting out here by yourself, would you? I've still got some other things to do before my shift is over." I looked up at her and gave her a small smile, silently letting her know that I would be okay.

She smiled back briefly and turned on her heel leaving me there, out in the cool, brisk air.

I seriously thought about jumping up from the wheelchair and just hopping to my truck; I could even see the top of the cab from here. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, which startled the fuck out of me and almost gave me a heart attack.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have snuck up on you, Bella," Dr. Cullen said. He'd mysteriously arrived behind me with a pair of crutches. Walking a few feet behind him was, to my complete and utter instant arousal, Edward. He wasn't looking in our direction yet but was fiddling with a bag across his shoulders, and I had to take a breath to keep myself from drooling at the sight of his arm muscles flexing. Didn't the man have any idea what he did to the female population? It wasn't fair.

I pointed out the top of my truck to him and said, "My car's right over there. Do you see the old Chevy truck? That's it."

Dr. Cullen nodded and turned to Edward, who had just reached us. He handed Edward the crutches and took my parking brake off the wheelchair. "Why don't you follow us, son, then I'll take your bag and you can help Bella into her vehicle. I'll follow you to her apartment."

We traveled the short distance in silence. Once we reached my truck, Dr. Cullen put on the brakes for the wheelchair and turned to his son. Edward handed his bag to his father and finally looked down at me.

Oh my good Lord, baby Jebus.

He was more astonishing up close. His green eyes were the purest color I'd ever seen, dark emerald with a mix of steel grey running around the rim. I was thankful that I had parked my truck in front of a lamp post; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to see Edward's face up close at all.

And that would be very, very bad.

His eyes widened as he caught my blatant staring and I felt the blush in my cheeks instantly. I cast my eyes downward and willed my blush away.

Dr. Cullen held out his hand for me to take as I wiggled my way out of the wheelchair. I stood shakily on one leg and held my hands out in front of me to catch myself on the truck fishing my keys out of my pocket to open the passenger side so I could slide myself in.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God! Please don't let there be a wet spot, please don't let there be a wet spot, please don't let there be a wet spot!_

I collapsed onto the seat and heard Edward place the crutches in the bed of my truck. I leaned over, unlocked the other door, and placed the keys in the ignition. Dr. Cullen came over and closed my door, Edward's bag in his hands.

"Now Bella, I want you to keep that bandage on until tomorrow morning. Keep icing it for fifteen minutes on, fifteen minutes off until you go to sleep. Then I want to see you again in about two weeks, okay? That way we can make sure that your ankle's healing the correct way." I nodded at his words and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"We'll wait a minute for you to get into your car, Dad," Edward's velvet voice said. He wasn't even in the car yet and he had me squirming in the seat; my private parts had clenched just at the sound of him.

I closed my eyes briefly and took another deep breath in as he climbed into the driver's seat and Dr. Cullen walked towards his car.

"I'm Edward, by the way. It's nice to meet you." His voice was a chorus of that damn "Hallelujah" song, and I felt as if I was floating on air. I wrenched open my eyes and turned towards him. He was holding out his hand for me to shake and I took it slowly.

I didn't expect the electric shock that hit me when I touched his hand. I pulled away quickly in reaction and felt the blush in my cheeks. I looked down as I answered him, afraid of the expression I'd see on his face from my sudden movement.

"I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you, too, and thank you for doing this. I don't live very far away so it shouldn't take too much of your time," I mumbled. I felt very proud of myself in that one moment; I hadn't stuttered anything at all.

"It's not a problem." _Is his voice a drug? I feel as though I don't have a care in the world as long as I'm listening to it._

I stared out the window of the truck, thinking about my body's reaction to him. This couldn't be natural, no way in hell.

He reversed out of the parking space and pulled forward towards the covered parking area, where I assumed all of the doctors parked.

"So, how long have you lived here?" he asked while flashing a small smile in my direction.

"That's a loaded question."

He looked at me oddly, and I realized that really it was a simple question. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

I hurried to continue, "Well, I was born in Forks, but when my parents divorced, I moved down to Arizona with my mom. Then she remarried, and I moved back up to Forks to live with my dad. Actually, I've only lived in Seattle for the past two and a half years."

_Verbal diarrhea, much?_

We pulled to a stop in front of the parking garage, and I saw what I assumed was Dr. Cullen's car coming towards us. We pulled in front and he followed.

"Er, how long have you lived here?" I asked to break the small silence that had crept over the cab.

"We moved here about ten years ago, from Chicago."

"Oh, that's nice, trading wind for torrential rain, huh?" It was the only thing I knew about Chicago - everyone called it "The Windy City".

He chuckled. "Kind of. At least it's better in the crime rates. The schools in Chicago had metal detectors and the ones here didn't. That was kind of freeing."

He pulled to a stop at the intersection and gestured towards the windshield. "Which way do I go?"

I pointed out the next direction. "Pretty much you just keep going straight from here for a couple of miles."

I gazed across the seat to look at him. The lights from the dash were reflecting off of his face, making him glow. He wore a sexy grin on his lips. _God, how I want to kiss those lips. Hell, I'd give anything to just run my nose along them and inhale. I bet he smells as good as he looks._

_Stop staring Bella! He's going to catch you and then what? You'll look down at your lap and look completely stupid!_

I snatched my eyes away from his profile and settled them on the blackness passing my window instead.

I heard him clear his throat, "So… how did you hurt your ankle?"

I tensed. _Oh no, not this! Anything but this! How could he know to ask the one question that I absolutely did not want to tell him the answer to?!_

I forgot momentarily that he was waiting for an answer, and when I turned to look at him, he was gazing at me. I wished I could tell him a funny story, but I knew my brain wouldn't come up with anything good on such short notice.

I decided that I'd have to go with the truth. "I tripped and landed inside my closet."

"How in the world did you manage that?" he scoffed his reply.

I sighed. If I was already crashing, I might as well get it all out there. "Well, I had this really long day at work, and when I got home, things just weren't working out for me there, either. So when I finally got the chance to unwind and take a shower, it was getting dark. I live alone, and of course, I'd forgotten to turn on any lights. The next thing I knew, I tripped over a shoe and landed inside my closet. The wooden rod that held all of my clothes fell on top of my head." _Cue the laughter…_

He did laugh, and I felt my entire face burn. At one point in his hysterical laughter, he actually hit the steering wheel with his palm. I hung my head in defeat. After a few moments of his laughter, he quieted down.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said.

I looked at him questioningly, my brows furrowing together. He saw me looking at him and cocked a beautiful half-smile. It was crooked and I was breathless.

"What?" _Did he really just say that he was sorry?_

He chuckled, low and deep, turning his head back towards the road and said lightly, "I laughed and it was wrong of me. Laughing at someone else's expense isn't the best thing to do; it's unkind. I am sorry but it's just so hard not to laugh when you hear something so completely…" He trailed off, unable to think of the right word.

"Ludicrous?" I finished for him.

"Exactly!" He faced me, finger pointed in the air and eyes shining.

I let out a sound that was between a laugh and a sigh. "Ludicrous things happen to me all the time."

"I don't believe that."

"You've never seen me move."

"You can't always be getting yourself into unfavorable situations. It'd be impossible. The odds alone would be staggering."

I glared. "When I was three, my parents were visiting ones of their friends who lived on the second floor of an apartment complex. I'd somehow wandered out onto the balcony and fell down two flights of concrete stairs.

"When I was in first grade, we were doing relay races in P.E. and I was doing the crabwalk backwards and sprained my wrist.

"In the fourth grade I got a really rare rash that no one could name. I had it most of the school year and everyone teased me mercilessly.

"I had to get my tonsils taken out when I was fifteen because I kept getting really bad strep throat every flu season. I had spent that summer inside the house and had gone back to school looking like an albino.

"And what happened in between all that time? I fell and got scrapes. I broke bones and got bruises. I can hardly walk safely across a flat surface most of the time."

My rant broke off and I found myself panting from exertion and humiliation. I'd just spilled my whole life's horror stories with the most beautiful man in existence, and I'd only just met him ten minutes ago. _Oh God, was this self-destruction of Bella day?_

I mentally face-palmed and shook my head in woe. Thank goodness we'd just gotten to my apartment complex.

We pulled into the driveway and I told him the code to unlock the gate. He followed my directions perfectly - honestly, it was straight until you got to the end of the road, not much to get lost with - and pulled into my parking spot.

He turned off the engine and got out of the truck as I leaned my head against the back of the seat and let out a breath.

_Great, I'd just scared off the man of my dreams, and all I got was this lousy bum foot._

_Fan-fucking-tastic._

Before I knew it, he was opening the door for me and handing me the crutches so that I could get out and steady myself. I saw the lights of Dr. Cullen's car as he pulled in next to my truck.

"Help her get up the stairs, Edward. I'll wait for you here. It was nice meeting you, Bella; don't forget to come back in two weeks for me to check out your ankle again, okay?" I nodded at Dr. Cullen, not trusting myself to say anything else that could be potentially harmful to my emotional health.

I locked the door and slammed it shut. Edward was standing besides me, waiting to head towards the stairs.

We hadn't said anything to each other since my verbal overload, and it seemed like we wouldn't be talking at all for the rest of our lives.

I moved forward until I was at the foot of the stairs, contemplating my next move. _Should I try to use each crutch to waddle up the stairs? Perhaps I should put both of them up on the next step and just hop up?_

My choices were cut short when I was suddenly airborne and the crutches dangled lamely from my hands. An embarrassing yelp escaped me as my mind processed what had happened.

My body was swept up into his arms and he was holding me bridal style. It was an intimate act and all my girlie parts fluttered. My skin burned in the places where we were touching, and I immediately tried to wrap my arms around his neck to steady myself.

"Ack! Edward! Wha- what are you do-doing?! Put me do-down!" I practically screamed.

His mouth was right next to my ear and I heard his low voice clear as day. "If you want to get upstairs anytime tonight, this would be your best option. Now, just stop talking and let someone help you for a change. Take both of the crutches in your left hand and wrap your other arm around my neck. That'll make this easier."

_Ooh, Dominant Edward, me likey…_

I did as he said and turned my head towards his, which was a big mistake. I'm talking humongous, world-annihilating mistake. Our lips were mere inches apart and I didn't know if I had the willpower to _not_ kiss him. I looked into his emerald orbs and thought that the world was ending. I saw fire, green flames licking at me from the inside, setting my soul aflame. My breathing had turned shallow, and I was panting onto his cheek.

I _had_ to look away; otherwise, my panties would combust. That would be a feat in itself seeing as they were already soaked beyond belief.

I dropped my head and told him quietly that my apartment was at the top. I felt him nod as he started our journey.

I was cradled into his chest and for the first time in - the first time _ever _really - I felt truly safe. There was nothing in the world to worry about and nothing in the world could hurt me in this divine moment.

I couldn't tell what he smelled like in my truck because we hadn't been close enough, but being this near to him now, I could. I was right. He was a mixture of Heaven and Hell. He smelled of sandalwood and sugar, almost like cotton candy and something else. Saliva pooled inside my mouth. God, he was mouthwatering.

All too soon, it was over. We'd reached the top of the staircase and were in front of the door to my apartment. He set me down gently and pulled my keys out of his pocket. I took them from him carefully to avoid touching him again. My skin felt alive and I'm pretty sure I was vibrating with some kind of untapped excitement.

"Thank you again for helping me, Edward." I said breathlessly as I looked up at him from under my lashes. I sounded as though I'd just run a fifteen mile relay.

His green eyes looked almost black and I realized that he too was breathing heavily.

_I didn't realize that I weighed so damn much. Why isn't he saying anything back? Does my breath stink?_

I continued saying good-bye, unable to think of anything else to say. "Well, I'd better let you get going."

He seemed to snap out of whatever funk he was in and blinked twice, shaking his head a little.

"You're welcome, Bella. Good night." A shiver ran down my spine as he said my name, and I couldn't help but blush at my painfully obvious reaction to him.

Deciding that I couldn't risk attacking his luscious body, I smiled gently and turned from him, saying good night. I unlocked my door and limped inside, closing it lightly behind me and leaning against it.

The alarm buzzed in my ear and I pivoted to enter in the code to turn it off. My skin still felt alive and I was positively energetic as I flicked on the closest light switch. I used the crutches to hobble over to the kitchen counter and sat down.

I didn't know what to do with myself. His touch electrified me, warming me all throughout. His voice made my head swim and my heart race. His smell drove me into overload, and it took all that I had not to jump his bones. I had to calm down, take a few deep breaths and just relax.

Those pills that Jessica had given me were working; I didn't feel any pain. At least, I thought it was the pills. At this point, I wasn't sure if it was from them or Edward; he had me so confused about my body's reactions.

I figured that I should try to get to bed. The sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I could get this wretched day behind me. I slowly got out of the chair and grabbed the crutches to head back to my room.

I knew I'd have one heck of a cleanup in front of me and wanted to get that out of the way as soon as possible. As soon as I walked into my room and turned on the light, sure as shit, I saw the rod that I'd have to repair and the massive pile of clothes that I'd have to re-hang. My head hung in defeat and I made my way over to the closet and picked up the piece of wood. It was intact, which I was thankful for. I didn't feel like having to make a trip to Home Depot at this time of night.

I fixed it as best I could in that moment and shoved the pile of clothes into the space beneath the rod. I turned towards the bathroom and picked up the traitorous shoes throwing them across the room and onto the piles of clothes that I still had to pick up. At least they couldn't finish the job and murder me tonight. The closet was on the farther side of my room and I would have to purposefully go over there for the shoes to do any further harm to me.

I turned around and went back into the kitchen to put some ice in a plastic bag for my ankle. Double checking that the front door was locked, I turned the light off and made my way back into the bedroom. Slipping off my flip-flops near the pile of clothes in the closet, I turned on my nightstand lamp and switched off the overhead light for the room.

Settling into bed, I pulled the covers around the right side of my body and put the ice pack on my ankle. I hissed as the cold hit my body and then sighed as it started to help me feel better. I pulled "Pride and Prejudice" out of the drawer and found my place, starting to read about Mr. Darcy and how much of a douche-bag he was to Elizabeth.

I couldn't seem to focus though; all I could see were green eyes and all I could smell was cotton candy. I tried in vain for twenty minutes before I finally gave up and just resigned myself to bed, leaving the ice pack on my ankle. Sometime during the night, it would roll off and I'd just deal with it in the morning.

I put the book back in my drawer, shut off the light, and closed my eyes.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

www(dot)gigglesnortawards(dot)mmmboptastic(dot)com(backslash)nominate(dot)php

I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

www(dot)ThefandomGivesBack(dot)com

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	3. A Day In The Life Of

Chapter 3: A Day In The Life Of…

XOXOXOXO

My dreams that night were images, vague and distorted. Nothing made sense. I woke up with a pair of green eyes staring at me from the inside of my eyelids. Some unknown emotion had woken me up and I was breathing heavily, my heart racing.

I really didn't have to get up for another hour or two, but I knew that sleep would elude me and didn't feel like wasting time. I stretched and winced in pain, completely forgetting my ankle. It all seemed like a twisted dream now. I'd been completely lost in my mind last night and hadn't even taken the doctor's notes from out of my pocket.

I sat up and threw the covers off of me. The plastic bag of ice had fallen to the floor last night and melted into water. I took care as to not step on it and make another mess to clean up. I hobbled my way over to the bathroom and did my morning routine. I looked over to the mass of clothes still in my closet and groaned._ Damn it, I do not want to do this._

I carefully made my way to the closet and began picking things up and hanging them back on their hangers.

_Well, since I'm doing this, I might as well do some spring cleaning. Hmm, what can I get rid of?_

I spent a good amount of time going through the massive pile. When I was done, half of the pile was thrown on my bed and the other half was in my closet. I resigned myself to eat breakfast before I started on my dresser.

I grabbed the crutches and made my way into the kitchen, thinking of what I was going to eat. _Pancakes? French Toast?_

I'd completely forgotten that I didn't have half of the ingredients to make either of those things. _Looks like it's time to get my paycheck and do some grocery shopping._

I quickly changed clothes, trying my hardest to keep from moving my ankle at all, and brushed my teeth.

Honestly, I didn't want to hobble into work with my new injury, but I knew I'd have to get it over with and the sooner it was done, the better. I wrapped up my hair in a messy bun and trudged out of the bathroom. My coworkers shouldn't care what I looked like on my day off. If they did, well, fuck 'em.

I grabbed my things and crutched out the door.

I wished I could have said that my trip to the mall was eventful, but it wasn't. It was boring as usual until I walked inside Fuego and everyone stopped to stare at me.

"Oh my God, Bella! What happened?" Jen asked as I entered the store. She was a short Asian woman with shoulder-length black hair and expressive eyes. We'd become close since she'd started working there, becoming fast friends.

"You don't want to know, but I'll be alright. I brought in my doctor's notes. I can still work, but I can't lift anything heavy for a while." I told her while pulling out the papers Jessica had given me last night.

She gave me a sympathetic look and said, "Galen's in the office. We're pretty slow, so he should be able to talk to you."

I mumbled my thanks and made my way towards the office in the back. I knocked lightly on the door and waited for it to open.

Galen was a blonde, blue-eyed middle age man who wore glasses and was considerably taller than I was. He always bragged about being in the military and how he was training to be a doctor.

If he really wanted to be a doctor, then how did he end up in this shit hole doing customer service?

Don't get me wrong, I loved my job, but it was not what I wanted to do in life. Hell, I didn't even know yet what I really wanted to do with my life.

The door swung open and there was Galen, standing in front of me, wearing his signature stupid-ass grin. "Ah, Bella, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

I shivered with disgust. "I'm actually just here to pick up my check and to give you a copy of these papers." _Is he so slow that he didn't even realize that I was leaning on crutches?_

It took him a moment to see my ankle, but when he did, he faked alarm. "Oh no! What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fantastic, but my ankle's sprained pretty badly. The doctor said I'm not supposed to stand on it for too long or put any unnecessary weight on it."

"Oh, that sounds horrible. I'm sorry."

"So if I could just have you copy these papers and get my check, I'll be off." _Why didn't he understand that I didn't want to be here all fucking day?!_

"Sure thing, come on in." He answered as he opened the door wider for me to enter.

I plopped down on the closest chair and passed the crutches to my side. "I can still work; it's just that I shouldn't stay on my feet for too long or lift anything heavy for a couple of weeks." I knew he secretly hated me and wondered if he'd make me lose hours because of my injury.

"But these are your doctor's notes here?" he asked me.

_No, they're from my dad, excusing me from your shit._

"Yes. I need the originals, but if you could take the copies for corporate, I'd greatly appreciate it."

_Must remember to not use big words in his presence, it might confuse him._

He took the papers from me, turned to the copier and began duplicating the pages. Once that was running smoothly, he turned to the safe and plucked out my check. He waited until I had signed the appropriate forms before handing it to me. The whole exchange took only a few minutes but the air in the room was awkward and uncomfortable. He was singing something under his breath, attempting to show off. It didn't work.

Galen thought that he was a talented singer. I'd heard him sing on more occasions than I could count, and, honestly, he couldn't hum a tune worth a fuck. He'd bragged that he was the number one singer in Europe. I couldn't help but think that it was probably the deaf part of Europe that he'd sung in. Or maybe a remote part of the continent, one that didn't really count as a country or some shit like that. I knew that I wasn't the only person who thought his singing was shit, my coworkers and I had bets on if Galen would try to audition for "American Idol". I was betting that since he was so pompous, he would try out and magnificently fail. The pot was growing exponentially and the winner would take home around $200.

I was jostled out of my musings when Galen handed me back the original papers. I stashed everything into my pocket, ready to get the fuck out of there.

I stood up and exited the office, with Galen right behind me. 

"Thanks, Galen. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded and turned in the opposite direction from me, heading into the back room while I headed out the front. I could still hear him singing in the back and I shook my head and chuckled.

"Hey, Jen, can you do me a favor?" She looked at me and nodded her head.

"Can you talk to Shonna later and make sure that she knows that I'd still very much like to work? I don't think Galen will tell her that I can still do my job."

"Sure, I can do that. Anything for you, sweets."

I told her thanks and we said our goodbyes, me trying to get the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until my stomach growled at me.

I exited the mall parking lot and made my way to the bank, eager to get some money in my pockets and some food in my system.

It was turning out to be a nice day, just as the weather forecaster had said. I ached to go to the park and just relax in the sunlight - my tan had been seriously lacking as of late - and I needed to fix that, pronto. But I had other things that needed to be tended to and I was nothing if not responsible.

Making my way back from the bank, I decided to pick something up from the deli at the grocery store. I could snack and shop at the same time. At least, I thought I could.

It turns out that it isn't advisable to use a shopping cart and attempt to eat chicken strips while hopping around on one foot. Go figure.

Because I was eating something greasy, I didn't want to wrap my fingers around the cart's handle bar. So I used the heel of my hands to push, often sending the cart too far out in front of me, making me have to jump after it. I looked like an idiot.

I actually laughed while trying to picture what I looked like to other people. Add that to the list of craziness and I might as well just be locked up for acting like a loon.

In short, it wasn't a good idea for me to be grocery shopping at the moment. I filled the prescription that Dr. Cullen had given me and decided that I would just order out from my apartment until I could fully walk again.

I left the near-empty cart at the pharmacy and crutched back to my truck, resigned at not being able to really do anything else today. I could try to tan later when the sun would hit my back deck. One of the many perks about my apartment was that it had a fantastic view of the sunset from time to time.

As soon as I reached my building, I briefly panicked at how I would get up the stairs again. Sure, I'd gotten down the stairs safely, doing the same thing as I had last night. But now Edward wasn't here to help me get up the stairs like he had before.

_Well, Edward isn't here to pick you up now, is he? You'll just have to find a way up all by yourself. You are a big girl, Bella, time to be resourceful. _

I stuck the small bag the pharmacy had given me down my shirt, wedging it between one of my boobs and my bra.

"It's only three stories Bella, nothing too much. You'll be safest at the top, Bella, no one can break in!" I mumbled to myself, thinking back to why Charlie had suggested the top floor.

I hopped up the first step, bringing the crutches with me afterwards to stabilize myself once I made it safely.

_Only twenty thousand more of those! Jeez, by the time my ankle's healed, I'll have the calves of an Olympic Gymnast. _

It took me a half an hour, but I finally made it to the top. Sweat was practically dripping down my face and I was so out of breath someone would have thought that I had severe asthma. I dug through my pockets to find my keys, hoping that I didn't accidentally leave them in my truck again. Going all the way back down the stairs and then all the way back up would have surely killed me.

I made my way inside, turning off the alarm and throwing the keys down on the table quickly, while shutting the door behind me. I needed a shower, pronto. But before I could do that, there was a message on my answering machine that needed to be checked. The red number flashed at me dangerously. I knew I'd have to call Charlie to let him know what happened, but I didn't really want him to freak out about it. Forks was a bit of a distance away, and I didn't want him to worry over me needlessly. I could take care of myself.

_Suuuure, that's how you ended up like this, remember?_

I could hear people inside the stairwell, talking animatedly about something. I wanted to know what they were saying, but thought better of it at the last minute and headed towards the kitchen. I pressed the button on the answering machine and sat down heavily on the closest chair.

It was Jake. He'd called to ask if I wanted to go to a party with him somewhere around here. I didn't want to go, but I knew I'd have to at least be nice to him and give him a reason. I dialed his number, and it surprisingly went to voicemail. I left him a message and hung up, then dialed my father. He should definitely know about what had happened. I talked to him briefly, assuring him constantly that I'd be alright.

I pulled the prescription bag from my bra and tossed it on the counter with a disgusted look on my face. God, that was uncomfortable. I massaged where the bag had been and put my head on my hand.

I just wanted to get in the shower and relax, so that's what I decided to do. I stood up from the chair and leaned against the counter, my ankle suspended in mid-air. Pulling the prescription bottle out of the bag, I read the directions quickly. I popped two in my mouth and grabbed a nearby water bottle to wash them down with. I wasn't in as much pain as I was the night before, but it still hurt and I wasn't about to be in pain for the rest of the day.

Limping from the kitchen, I made my way to the bathroom and stripped for a shower.

I sat down on the toilet seat lid and took the first look at my ankle since last night. The skin not covered by the wrap was dark purple and puffy, while the bandage tried to keep my foot in its original form.

I winced as I rolled the cloth off, my entire foot throbbing painfully. I wiggled my toes lightly and hissed as pain shot up my entire leg.

"God damn fucking shit!" I yelled. It wasn't the best course of action at the moment, but it relieved me somehow.

_Only this could happen to me, number one klutziest woman on the planet. Why didn't God just strike me down now and get it over with already? _

I really craved a shower, but I still wanted at least one of my ankles to be fully functional and I knew a bath would be the safer course of action since I couldn't slip. I turned on the water and watched it cascade from the nozzle. Once it was warm enough, I pulled the stopper and watched as it began filling up with the warm liquid. I pulled myself up from the toilet seat and maneuvered into the tub, splashing lightly as I landed.

I soaked for I don't know how long, but as soon as the water was starting to make me shiver, I knew it was time to vacate the premises. I drained the water and slowly made my way up and out of the tub, my ankle protesting slightly in warning. I quickly dressed into my P.J.'s and set to work on my dresser. I thought I heard a high-pitched squealing sound, but it stopped after a few seconds and I thought nothing more of it.

_Damn head injury, maybe I'm starting to hear things._ I decided to wait it out and see if anything else weird happened with my hearing; then if necessary, I'd call Dr. Cullen and get checked out again.

I added more to the pile to give away and claimed a garbage bag from the kitchen. I'd end up dropping it off at the local Goodwill soon enough. With that settled, I contemplated what I should do for the remainder of the day._ Hmm, should I try to tan? Should I try to read again? How about I look over that letter about the contest and see what I can come up with?_

The contest spurred my ass into action and I headed back into the kitchen to read over what the letter actually said. I found it on the counter and scanned through it.

The general gist was that I had to write another project and send it in by mid-November, something completely new. I spent a few hours in front of the computer, looking over my writing and contemplating what sounded good and what didn't. Finally, my stomach rumbled at me.

Sighing, I decided to call it a night with the writing thing and just veg out. I turned from my workstation in the living room and limped the small distance to the kitchen, opening a drawer that contained only local restaurant menus. Living in Seattle was enjoyable and often brought about many different choices about what to do or where to go for dinner. I'd ventured out enough to know what places I liked and what places completely sucked, which places delivered and which places made you pay extra for the added ambiance.

I sorted through the menus, contemplating what I wanted to eat. Everything just sounded so good, that I just put them all back, shuffled them around and closed my eyes, randomly picking out one from the pile. I ended up ordering Mexican food and watching an old movie in my bedroom. After I finished eating, I placed the leftovers in the fridge, brushed my teeth and snuggled under the covers. Sleep beckoned me as I set the alarm for the morning.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

www(dot)gigglesnortawards(dot)mmmboptastic(dot)com(backslash)nominate(dot)php

I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

www(dot)ThefandomGivesBack(dot)com

Please leave a review!


	4. Concentration

Chapter 4: Concentration

XOXOXOXO

Hands ghosted over the heated flesh of my abdomen, never making contact.

I felt as if I had goose-bumps, but my skin never rose. I had chills throughout my entire body. My nipples hardened, though no one was touching them.

I was naked and panting out of control.

I loved it.

There was a sexual charge in the air, my skin hummed and was electrified to life as he finally touched me.

_Oh, sweet Lord, touch me again._

His hands, long fingers extended over my flesh and my hips rose to meet him, seeking his warmth.

Why didn't he touch me _there_? Didn't he know how badly I wanted him?

He was torturing me, driving me insane with want. No, not want, but with _need_. I _needed_ him to touch me. I would be incomplete until he finally touched me _there _and brought me to nirvana. I was sure he could bring me to the greatest height I would ever know.

Just as he was about to bring his fingers down to my mound, I heard him speak, "Listen up, it's just not happenin'."

'_Scuse me?_ I couldn't find my voice, I couldn't say anything. I listened intently.

"You can say what you want to your boyfriends."

_I don't have any boyfriends, and why are you saying things in rhythm?_

"Just let me have my fun tonight, aiight?"

_You can have your fun, just don't stop touching me! _

"I'm not here for your entertainment."

_Oh my God, you're rhyming._

"You don't really wanna to mess with me tonight."

_Of course I want to mess with you; you're here for Christ's sake!_

"Just stop and take a second, I was fine before you walked into my life."

_Oh no. No, no, no, no, no._

"'Cause you know it's over before it began."

_Damn bass and catchy lyrics. _

"Keep your drink, just give me the money. It's just you and your hand tonight."

I looked into his emerald eyes and was lost to consciousness.

My body flew up in bed, I was startled the fuck out of my mind.

_Damn alarm clocks should've never been invented._

"Argh!" I knew that the song being in my dream was a bad sign. Not to mention that I had no relief, none whatsoever, and my lady parts were throbbing and soaked. I fell back onto the bed, beating my hands on the mattress.

It was too early, too cold and way too dark for me to get up. I thought about calling the alarm clock company and screaming at them for making the clock yell mutiny at me. I should press charges for them waking me up from the best dream I had ever had, even if I didn't get any action.

"That was Pink's 'U + Ur Hand', captivating woman she is. In the latest breaking news, there was an attack on a female college student late last night at the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Reports coming in are stating that she was thrown around pretty roughly but is in good, stable condition at a local hospital. So far, no other reports of violence or beatings have been reported. We'll bring you more as this story progresses. Now how about we lighten the mood and play you some soft oldies," the disc jockey said.

The Backstreet Boys started playing and I knew it was time to shut off the damn thing.

I grudgingly dressed for work and ate a small bit of the leftovers from yesterday's dinner for breakfast. Then I headed to work and started my routine all over again.

My typical day at work went something along the lines of this:

Make my way inside the store.

Put my stuff away and get my till full of money.

Open the store and react with customers all day.

Take their money and eventually take my breaks and half hour lunch.

Help out more customers.

Clock off and head the fuck home.

It seemed like today would be no different as I waited for someone to come and open the doors for me. As soon as I saw Galen's face, I knew that I would be in for a day of _excuse me's_ and _what the fuck's_.

He opened the doors and as I walked in, I muttered a cordial good morning to him, making my way to the back room. I tried to not talk to him if I could avoid it, that way he couldn't blame me for being insubordinate. They couldn't well fire me for not talking to someone, it was against the rules.

I set my stuff in the back and locked it away in my locker. I didn't want anyone stealing my shit. No way in hell.

Then, making my way up front, I clocked in and went straight to the office to get a register till for the day. I was balancing myself pretty well on the crutches; I just had Galen carry my till up front for me.

The rest of the morning went by pretty fast, and as soon as Jen got in I felt immediately better. She was a manager trainee and would be taking over someone's position either at this store or at another one close by. At least now I had someone else to talk to. I hated opening with Galen, he always made me do the shit that he had to do. It wasn't cool and instead of promoting me, they promoted him. What kind of fucking shit was that? I busted my ass, day after day to keep this place running well, and he takes the fucking credit for all of it. What the fuck?

"Good afternoon, Jen! My, my, it's wonderful to see you!" I exclaimed brightly.

She turned to me, a grin in place. "Galen opened, didn't he?"

I replied in my sweetest tone, "Why yes, sugar, he did." I even batted my eyelashes at her and posed coyly.

She laughed lightly at me as she clocked in and started walking towards the back.

"Hey! You're supposed to save me from the wreckage! Get your butt back here!" I yelled after her. She couldn't just disappear on my ass; I actually needed her help with some stuff I was supposed to be doing. Okay, not really, but I couldn't handle being up front by myself all day again.

I heard her laughter from the back room and scowled. She didn't know how much I relied on her presence while Galen was the opening manager. She was my lifeline, the only thing to make my day seem worthwhile.

Eventually she made her way back up to the front and helped me out with several of my errands, mostly climbing on the ladder for me and putting things away when I couldn't reach the shelf the item went on.

"So Bella, you never did tell me what happened to your ankle."

"Jen, I told you. It's not important, _really_. It happened and now I just want to get better." I groaned.

"You tripped over something again, didn't you?" She paused on the ladder awaiting my answer.

I looked straight ahead as I answered, "Shut it."

"You did! Aw, poor baby. What was it this time? The carpet? Your bed? Oh! How about air?" She snickered as she climbed back down the ladder.

"Ha ha, Shorty. Thanks for making the gimp feel better about everything. Some friend you are." I tried to hobble away, but the ladder was taking up too much room and blocked my only escape.

Everyone at work made fun of Jen and her height. Where I was around 5'5 tall, she stood around 5'2. She was all energy and perkiness. When she was particularly excited, her trademark Asian-ethnic accent would come out; it was extremely funny because she was born in Hawaii.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. You know that I just can't help it! I lub you hard." She jumped off the last rung of the ladder and tackled my back in a fierce hug. I chuckled at her antics, surely if anyone else had done that they would've gotten fired.

Galen then decided to show up, some papers in hand and that stupid I'm-always-entertained grin. "So how's everything going up here?"

_Well shit, you just caught me being back hugged by a short Asian woman who lubs me hard. How do you think everything's fucking going?_

I smiled contemptuously at him. He wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a real one and a fake one anyways. Then I snorted. Well, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a real one and fake one of _those_ either.

Turning the snort into a cough I tried to wave off his faked look of concern. Clearing my throat, I spoke, "Uh Jen, sweety? You wanna let go of the nice lady now?" I felt her arms release my form. "So what's with the papers?" I continued.

"Oh, these are just some forms that need to be signed for you to still be working with your ankle the way that it is." He handed me the papers and then his own personal pen. Ew. I didn't want to be using that shit. But I was cornered and Jen still hadn't moved the ladder, damn.

I read them over, feeling awkward that Galen still hadn't left my side as I was reading the entire time. I think at one time he actually smelled my hair. Gross.

Hastily signing the documents and passing them over to him, I kept as much distance between us as the situation allowed. He took them from me and grinned. He fucking grinned. Jack-ass.

"Alright then, now that that's settled, I'm going to lunch."

At least I had the decency to wait until his back was turned to shake my head. Of course he'd want to go to lunch. He hadn't done a fucking thing all morning. So surely he'd worked up an appetite.

I watched as he went back to the back room and then emerged a few minutes later with his things and _then_ clock off. Fucking prick milked the company for all it was worth, including staying on the clock when he didn't need to be. Jen and I looked at each other, sharing a look of annoyance. The fact that he got away with it bugged the shit out of her too.

Not much happened between the time that Galen left and the time that he came back. It was slow business as usual. He actually had me wait to go to lunch so that he could finish some transfers paperwork. I had to wait an hour. My stomach was growling at me and he was sitting in the back office doing paperwork. Typical. Finally he came back up front and let me go, asking me if I had clocked out before I left to get my things. I growled under my breath as I hobbled to the back to get my wallet.

The food-court at the mall was passable at best. It had a few good places to choose from, but nothing stuck out at me, so I picked the closest place possible and ordered something that I could carry in a bag.

My sandwich wasn't that good, nor did I really want to down the massively large Dr. Pepper that came with it, but I needed the sugar and at least something in my stomach to make it stop screaming at me. I had a little bit of time left before I had to make my way back to work, so I sat there watching the people around me.

I watched as a mother tried to control her tiny son in a stroller, the kid screaming for some French fries. A young woman with dark hair dragged her boyfriend through the walkway, pointing out things in the windows and practically dancing around him. An older, assumingly married couple walked hand in hand slowly, cherishing the afternoon with each other. At that one I got a little choked up.

They'd been with each other for a long time, yet they still showed their bond to the world as they took in what could have been either one of their last days together. I wondered if I'd ever have that.

My love life wasn't the best out there and it didn't bother me, but I didn't want to end up alone with fifty million cats either. The only time I had sex was an oopsies with Jake. He blew a gasket in less than thirty seconds and mine never came. I figured that I could take care of my own business, so to speak, and haven't looked back since.

But ever since I laid eyes on Mr. Sexhair, I'd been rethinking my situation. I'd give anything for him to push my buttons and yank my chains; probably on a constant basis, like every day for the rest of my life.

I sighed.

I'd even take a kiss, God how I missed kisses. It was an intense emotional connection using our most valued means of communication. It was the way we sustained our health by eating, drinking, and breathing. Before I knew it, my time was up and I had to race back to the store.

The rest of my day was simple. Ring out customers, act pleasantly surprised at whatever they had to say, 'hm' and 'ah' at the appropriate times while they tell me their life's story. I tried my hardest to still be able to do the things that needed to be done, just so Galen couldn't say that I wasn't trying hard enough. I didn't want anyone to think that I couldn't do something just because I had been gimped out. I always had to prove myself.

Eventually it was time for them to count my till and let me go home, thank God. I went to the back and grabbed my stuff, intent on putting as much pavement between myself and the store as soon as possible.

I said goodbye to Jen and told her that I'd see her tomorrow as I crutched out of the front doors of the store. My truck wasn't parked that far away from the main entrance of the mall and I was grateful. The armpits were already starting to chafe at how much I'd used my crutches today. Just wanting to get home and pass out on my bed, I drove home almost as recklessly as I had the night that I'd twisted my ankle.

My complex was as quiet as it usually was, and my stairway problem was getting easier and easier to manage. I was quickly becoming a pro at the stairwell Olympics. I expected to take home the gold any day now.

Unlocking my door and turning off the alarm, I made my way inside my apartment. Glad that I only had a few more days to get through until my next day off. The answering machine glared at me with its red numbers and I grumbled as I made my way over to the offending electronic and pressed the play button.

"Hey Bella, its Jake. I just thought you'd be home by now. You really need to get a cell phone or something, ya know? Anyways, I just wondered if you wanted to go out to dinner or something. I got a promotion at work and I'd like to celebrate with you. Nothing fancy, just something small. I feel like we haven't really talked in forever. So give me a call back, okay? Bye."

I dialed him back quickly, wanting to get it over with. If he was willing to make the trek out here for me then I wouldn't begrudge him that liberty. Before I knew it, Jake was at my door with a bag full of Italian takeout. Sometimes I loved the kid. Like now, when he brought me food.

We had a quiet night in, talking and laughing at old memories. Jake was two years younger than me and still acted like a goofball. It was like old times and I forgot how easily we got along. We were sitting next to each other on the floor of my living room, backs to the sofa and food set out in front of us.

"So, Bells, how are you really?" he asked as he handed me another box that contained a piece of Tiramisu.

I laughed at him as I took the box. "I'm perfectly fine Jake, thanks for asking."

He laughed too. "I'm serious B; it looks like you're not taking care of yourself or something."

"Jake you know how accident prone I am! There's no way that I wouldn't at least have a bruise somewhere on my body that you wouldn't know about. I'm me for cryin' out loud!" I grabbed my fork from the closest box and dug into the wonderfully creamy dessert.

I moaned lightly as the cold dessert hit my tongue and closed my eyes to savor the party that was erupting in my mouth. "Oh, Jake! This is delicious! You know how to worm your way into my heart."

When I didn't hear his reply, I snapped my eyes open in alarm. He was still sitting in front of me, though his body language was tight and controlled. It was as if he couldn't move.

"Jake? You okay?" I moved to put my hand on his arm, though he jerked back from my touch.

"What did I do?" I continued in alarm. As far as I knew I hadn't done anything, but apparently he seemed to think that I had. A sense of unease washed over me.

"I just need to use your bathroom. Where is it?" He got up quickly and went in the direction that I pointed.

I took light pulls from the dessert in front of me while pondering what had just happened with the tall man.

Jake was still a little bit of a mystery to me at times. I was never sure if he'd had other girlfriends or not, but I always suspected that he still had feelings for me. He had dark, expressive eyes and always had a shiny grin on his face. His russet skin always seemed earthy and warm. He reminded me of Arizona, where I was before I decided to move in with my dad. I guess I liked being around him so much because he reminded me of where I grew up.

At times, when I was really homesick and depressed, I used to refer to him as my lighthouse that would always point me in the direction of home. With him I always felt like myself, that I had no pressure to be this other person that everyone else expected me to be. He knew me; he knew what I was and how I acted. And he accepted me.

I felt guilty that I didn't return his affections the way that he wanted me to when we were dating. But I still loved him. Maybe he'll find someone who is worthy of him, who will love him exactly as he will love her. I hoped for him.

He returned a few minutes later smiling as usual and I felt my gut unclench. "Hey Bells, it's getting late, I should be heading home."

"Oh, okay Jake. Here, help me up then I can hobble you to the door," I answered as I held out my hand for him to take.

He pulled me up effortlessly and accidently pulled me into his chest. We hadn't been that close since we were dating and I missed the warmth his body provided.

I turned the awkward accident into a hug and felt his massive arms wrap around me. "Bye Jake. Thanks for coming all the way out here to see me. Call me when you get home okay? That way I know that you're safe." I felt him nod his head and then plant a warm kiss on my forehead.

I opened the door for him and ushered him out, watching as he descended the stairs. Then I closed and locked it, thinking of the mess that I'd have to clean up.

Having my foot gimp out on me wasn't the best thing in the world, and I'd had to make adjustments to the way I did things. For instance, I had to make five trips to and from the living room to clean up everything instead of the usual one or two. By the time that I had finally finished the dishes and had gotten everything put away, Jake was calling me to tell me that he'd gotten home alright.

I went to bed that night thinking of everything that I had encountered within the last twenty-four hours. I woke up from an alarmingly arousing dream to the sound of Pink telling me that I'd be alone with me and my hand for the rest of the night. I worked the usual same ass shift that I always did and had a moment where I choked up at the sight of an older couple being innocently loving with each other. Then I decided to ponder the ways that I've fucked up an innocent person's life.

I am such a bitch.

Bed was calling to me, so I decided that I should just stop thinking before I gave myself a brain hemorrhage and hit the bathroom before I went to bed with the stinkiest garlic breath ever known to man.

I tried staring at the ceiling until I fell asleep, I tried counting sheep until I passed out, I even tried praying – a trick that my mother said always helped her get to sleep – but nothing worked.

I checked once, twice, even three times to make sure that my alarm was set for the next morning. I brushed my teeth again. I even took a warm shower.

Tossing and turning in my bed for the thirty-third time, I resigned myself to the fact that sleep just wasn't going to happen with everything that was on my mind at the moment. So I took out my journal and started a new entry.

_I can't stop thinking, reliving the day inside my head over and over again. My mind is reeling with images of the most handsome man I've ever met in my existence and I'm throwing myself under a bus because I'm a horrible person for not loving a perfectly good guy who loves me with all of his heart. _

_I feel as if I've got two parts of myself warring with each other. Both are on the side of good, but if I go for broke and choose the wrong one I'm fucked. I had a dream, and oh Lordy was it a good one. Man of my Desires, or henceforth known as MD, was the star and I felt complete. But then Perfectly Good, henceforth known as PG, showed up, we had fun and I was happy._

_It's not fair because I don't even know for sure if either of them feels anything for me. I know I don't love PG the way that he should be loved, but I don't want to be the old spinster with a bajillion cats that lives in a house reeking of mothballs. I'll probably never see MD ever again, but I'm having delicious dreams about him and I'm afraid that his dream self will ruin all other men for me. For fuck's sake, he was engaged to be married! I shouldn't be thinking about him at all!_

I was closing the book when an idea hit me. I took out another page and started fresh.

_I know I'll probably never see you again, but I needed to tell you how you made me feel, even if it we only just met. I saw you out of the hospital room and my breathing stopped. I saw your eyes and my whole world righted itself. In the two seconds that I'd known of your being, I was captivated by you and completely yours. You electrified me and set my body on fire. I melted with you. I hallucinated splendid, magnificent, and glorious events when I heard your voice. Even when I was away from you for a day, my subconscious thought it best that I only dream of you. I will continue to only dream of you._

Folding the paper up and tossing it inside my nightstand, I turned out the light and felt my mind lighter than it had been all night.

The next couple of days passed in a blur, things coming and going. My ankle was healing very nicely and didn't even hurt that much anymore, though it was still the color of an eggplant. My head only hurt when I pushed on the bruise, which I only did once and it was an accident I won't ever repeat.

My next day off was Thursday, and I reveled in the awesomeness of finally being home for more than a stretch of a couple hours. I was situated on the couch in the living room, going through my latest journal for something to send in to that contest. I'd decided that I wasn't leaving my apartment at all that day and had stayed in my P.J.'s, a white wife beater and a pair of tie-dyed boxers. The summer air had finally stayed warm for the past few days. My hair was again in a loose bun, off-hand tendrils coming down to grace my face.

It was around noon when I heard the thumping and banging outside on the stairwell. My interest was aroused, so I poked my head out the door to see what was going on. I didn't find anything; the stairs were empty. Shrugging my shoulders, I went back inside and closed the door.

A few minutes later, I heard the same noises and chose to ignore them, thinking that it was definitely time to call Dr. Cullen and tell him of my insanity problems.

A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts; surely knocking sounds were signs of Dementia? Perhaps the symptoms were for some other cuckoo disease? The knocking happened again and I distinctly heard the sound come from the front door.

I limped over again and opened the door, expecting to see no one there and thus solidifying the fact that I definitely needed mental help.

What I didn't expect to see was one Edward Cullen, sweating and panting like he'd just appeared out of my dirty dreams.

_Oh. _

_My. _

_God. _

_What is he wearing?_

_Shoes. _

Yes he was wearing some kind of running shoe, tattered and dirty like they'd been well used for a while.

My eyes traveled upward.

_Legs. _

_Hairy man-legs. _

_Toned. _

_Tanned. _

_Skin. _

_No pants? _

My heart skipped a beat or twelve.

_Damn, shorts._

My eyes continued upwards.

_White t-shirt. A very wet in some places t-shirt._

My mind went fuzzy.

Blank.

My eyes moved up to his face.

His glorious, sweating, excited looking face.

His lips were moving.

_What?_

_Was he talking?_

_Huh?_

_Shit!_

_What the hell Bella? Snap out of it!_

"...alright?"

_Fuck, what did he ask? Was I alright? Uh, no, farthest thing from there at the moment actually, now that you mentioned it._

"Uh, yeah." I answered in my best shaky-voice impersonation.

His green eyes were alight, almost as if he was laughing. It was then that I took in the scene behind him.

The door to the next apartment was opened and I saw boxes piled in heaps near the door. The commotion I heard earlier must have been them trying to get upstairs with all of the stuff that I currently saw.

"Er, so you're moving in?" My voice was a little better than the just-got-off-the-roller-coaster one I had a second ago.

He opened his mouth to speak but then a young woman skipped over to us and interrupted him.

"Hi! I'm Alice, Edward's cousin." Her hazel eyes were shining too, although I took hers to be from happiness and excitement rather than exertion. She seemed to radiate giddiness and enthusiasm. Lucky her.

She was around my height, possibly an inch or so shorter, but her black spiky hair made up for the difference as it stood out a few inches from her head. She was dressed in the best looking designer clothes I had ever seen from a magazine. Seriously, this girl had style. And guts. She was wearing some kind of thick sandal with a heel, a pair of beige shorts, and a pink polo shirt. I've never known anyone to wear heels while moving someone into a new apartment. Then again, I don't know that many people. She looked vaguely familiar to me, though I couldn't place where I'd seen her before.

Edward's mouth was still opened, but Alice either didn't see it or didn't want to because she continued without missing a beat.

"Now really, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't invite you in to my new abode?"

Edward seemed to have finally found his voice, "Alice, you've only just met her. You're not even acquaintances yet!"

"Oh, pish-posh! Why do you always insist on ruining my fun, Edward? Can't you see that we're already besties?" She had turned to him, head cocked to the side and finger pointed towards him in mock-outrage. She even had the scowl on her face.

It seemed as though Edward had some balls, because even I was slightly scared of the woman I had just met, when he replied. "Really, Alice? What's her name?"

Shit, he even did the one eyebrow raise and narrowed eyes thing. Make his balls gold.

She didn't flinch as realization dawned on her. She turned to me and asked, "Do you mind if I use your kitchen for a second? My hands are all dirty and I haven't unpacked the washcloths yet."

"Oh, no, go right ahead. It's uh, right through, well, there and to the left," I mumbled out.

"Thanks sugar, I'll be back in just a few seconds." My eyes followed her as she took the directions I had given her, when a cool breeze pushed past me.

It was then that I realized that I wasn't really wearing anything appropriate to be out in public in. My arms crossed in front of my chest protectively, trying to keep my pebbled nipples from being caught standing at attention. I rotated my body towards Edward again and found that he was staring at me. I felt my blush betray me and ducked my head.

As Alice had said, it was only a couple of seconds before she was next to me, an eager smile on her face.

"Now Bella, why don't you change your clothes and head over? I'll need all the help I can get while I unpack. We can get to know each other."

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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	5. Detonation

Chapter 5: Detonation

XOXOXOXO

_How the hell did this person know my name? And further more, what was this shit about me changing? I'm comfortable, thank you very much._

She stood there staring at me expectantly.

"Er, how? Name? Help?" Somewhere in my internal dialogue some very key words had been left out, though I still believe that my general intent was made clear.

Alice smiled at me. She fucking smiled. Then she laughed, and I heard bells tinkling. What the hell was it with this family?

Her gaze shifted from me to the doorway. There was a large, tall man leaning out of it. He had the same dark hair as Alice, but had blue eyes and dimples. He was holding something up with his fingers, smirking playfully.

"You found my wind chimes! Yay! I wanted to get those up ASAP! C'mon Bella," she finished as she turned back to me. "Get dressed and come over. We'll be ordering out and you can meet everyone else."

I looked hesitantly to Edward, who hadn't said a word since Alice had mysteriously said my name. I wondered if he was okay with my hanging out with him and his friends.

I got his crooked smile back in return.

My heart fluttered in my chest and I turned back to Alice, who had been looking at Edward as well. "Well, unless you plan on dressing me, you should probably head over to your place. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Silly me, I thought the fashionista would have stuck to her own closet. At the mention of "dressing me" a few things happened simultaneously.

Alice's head whipped back from Edward's face to mine.

Edward's eyes widened like I'd mentioned the Plague.

And the man in the other apartment started laughing hysterically.

My brows furrowed, obviously missing out on something.

"Oh you're gonna wish you hadn't said that," Edward muttered in a low voice.

"Wh-why?" I didn't hear the answer to my question because in less than two seconds flat I'd been grabbed around the wrist and pulled into my bedroom by Alice.

I suppose this was the reason I wished I hadn't said anything about dressing me.

Even with my ankle healing nicely, I was fairly sure that I'd have a new sprain from the inertia that this little girl had imposed on me.

"So how did you find out my name? What are you, psychic?" We were standing before my broken semblance of a closet.

"No, but I do know things sometimes. I'm just a deviant," She answered, chuckling darkly.

"How do you mean that?" She looked like a cheerleader's little sister, she couldn't be as much of a badass as she was making herself out to be.

"I found some of your mail on the kitchen counter. I didn't look inside any of it or anything. Just don't forget to pay your phone bill. It is due in a few days." She winked slyly at me then turned back to my closet.

Scratch that, she was breaking federal laws — she was badass.

"You're not serious, are you?" Alice asked while she fingered the hem of a shirt hanging in my closet.

"I'm completely serious. I mean, I have more clothes in my dresser. These are just the nicer things that I save for work."

_Wait, why was this complete stranger dressing me again? Oh yeah, because she looked like she'd just stepped out of a J. Crew catalog and I didn't._

"Bella, Bella, Bella. We definitely have to do something about your wardrobe. We'll work on it slowly." She gave me sympathetic eyes as she said the last part.

"Really, my clothing's okay. I like what I own."

"This coming from the girl wearing a pair of boxers and a wife-beater. Figures. I see you in something so much better."

_Well honestly I see myself naked in your cousin's bed, but if clothing is what you prefer…_

"Fine Alice, just make sure that I'm comfortable," I reluctantly agreed as I sat down on my bed.

She eyed my bruised foot before she began her process. Then she started pacing in front of the closet, with her finger upon her chin in thought as she contemplated my slim choices.

Clothing wasn't anything I'd been fond of. Sure, it covered my body and kept me warm, but unless it came with an instruction pamphlet, I wouldn't know what piece went together with what.

So I supposed that I should've been grateful for Alice's help; that I should've seen it as a blessing in disguise. But I didn't, not in the slightest. It was all because she had this evil glint in her eye that my stomach churned and I suddenly felt sick.

"What kind of shoes do you own, Bella?" She asked as she stopped pacing.

My eyes widened. "Oh, Alice, don't hurt me."

She giggled and rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, silly. I just want to know what you've got."

"Um, I've got mostly sneakers and a pair of nice shoes for work."

"No heels?" she asked with disappointment in her voice.

I snorted as I replied, "Definitely no heels. I think I'd kill myself with a pair of those."

"I see that. Actually, it's how I found out about the apartment next door. So thanks."

"Er, you're welcome? Wait, you found out about this place because of me? I don't think we've ever met before, but you do look kind of familiar."

"No, we've never met before, at least not that I know of. But I've been looking for an apartment in this general area for a while now, and my Uncle Carlisle brought it up to me."

_Uncle Carlisle? Did she mean… _"You mean Dr. Cullen?"

"Oh yeah, he's my mom's brother. I've been having such rotten luck lately that I've been asking anyone if they know of any place that's available. He told me about the night that you came in. Oh don't worry," She hurried to continue after seeing my scared reaction. "He didn't tell me about any of your injuries, only that the apartment across the way from yours was vacant."

I nodded my head as she pulled open a dresser drawer. "So it's just you moving in? No one else? Oh, you don't want to look in the top drawer; it's got my underwear in it."

She looked over her shoulder at me as she answered, "I figured as much. It's the same place that I keep mine. And yes, it's just little ol' me moving in."

She tossed me a pair of Capri's and went back to the closet to grab a simple light blue t-shirt.

"Now put those on with your black Converse and head over to my apartment. The door will be open so just walk on in."

I chuckled as she exited the room, and I heard the front door close.

Dressing quickly, I went into the bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth. While spraying myself with some perfume that my mother had sent me for Christmas the previous year, I decided to pile my hair on top of my head in a pony-tail. I grabbed the nearest lip balm and made sure to lock the door behind me as I exited my apartment.

Just as Alice had said, the door was open and Edward was sitting on the stairs right in front of my door.

"What are you doing out here? I thought you'd be inside with your cousin," I asked in confusion. _He couldn't be waiting for me, could he?_

"Actually I was just making sure that she left you alive. Alice kind of has this thing about clothes."

"Really, I hadn't noticed. Thanks for the warning, by the way. It helped tons," I said sarcastically.

"Well, if it helps any, you look great."

_Damn blush._

I decided to look down to cover my body's blatant lack of caring for my self-esteem. "Thanks, now how about we get inside before she decides to lasso me with a belt."

He stood up, dusted off his shorts, and ushered me inside.

The apartment looked as bare as mine had before my father and I moved everything in. The plain white walls made the space seem bigger, and the boxes were piled up in a makeshift circle. Alice was sitting on one of them, while three other people were sitting next to her on the other boxes.

Next to Alice was a tall, lean man with wavy, honey colored locks that came down to his earlobes. His eyes were blue and he had on a pair of denim shorts and a white wife-beater. He was attractive in a charming sort of way with the southern accent I could barely hear. He seemed to be the calm to Alice's storm.

Another one of the people sitting in the circle was the large man that I'd seen before. His white t-shirt barely contained the muscles of his arms and his calves looked to be about the size of briskets in his black shorts. His short, dark curly hair made his body look almost out of place with his face. He was laughing like a kid on crack and it was contagious. I had a smile in place as I walked into the room.

Next to him was a very pretty, grown-up version of a Barbie doll. She had long, wavy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. She knew how to work her body with the outfit that she was wearing, a dark low cut tank-top and a pair of Daisy-Duke shorts. She had the air of royalty and the looks to prove it. But she was laughing along with the giant man, so I supposed that looks could be very well deceiving.

I felt Edward's hand on my back as he gestured around the room getting everyone's attention, his touch was electrifying. Alice was beaming.

He pointed out the man with the southern accent, "That is Jasper Whitlock, gentleman extraordinaire."

The man named Jasper got up and bowed slightly to me. I reached out my hand to shake his, but he took it instead and kissed my knuckles. Everyone in the room chuckled except me, who had blushed like crazy and stuttered out a hello.

"Much obliged to meet you ma'am. I'm sure we'll be seeing your pretty face around here very often. My Alice seems to attract people to her, you see."

_Damn, all he needs is a cowboy hat and he'll probably fit in with one of the old western movies._

Edward gestured to the woman who had the good grace to look like a younger version of Marilyn Monroe, "This is Rosalie Hale. Her bark is much worse than her bite."

Everyone laughed as Rosalie cracked a smile in my direction and waved. I waved back solemnly.

Then Edward finally reached the man who seemed to make everyone laugh, "And this is Emmett McCarty, Alice's brother."

As Emmett stood up, I suddenly felt like a little child. _Holy shit this guy is huge!_

He took me by complete surprise and wrapped me up in his massive arms for a bone-crushing hug. I was temporarily lifted from the ground and my feet dangled lamely below me as I fought to hold onto my breath.

"I bet we'll be seeing a whole bunch of you from now on! Pretty soon you'll get tired of us and just move out." He set me down and the room started righting itself.

Edward reached Alice again and muttered, "You don't really need an introduction for her, she-"

"Alice Brandon, glad to make your acquaintance." She cut him off and curtseyed in front of me. I giggled with everyone else at her antics.

She continued, "Emmett and I don't have the same last name because our mom was widowed. She remarried quickly after her first husband passed away and had me."

"Oh Emmett, I'm so sorry." I turned to face him again.

"Why? I don't remember him and Alice's dad is the only father I've known." He looked unfazed and even shrugged his shoulders.

Edward then turned to me and made my introduction. "Everyone this is Bella. Bella, this is everyone."

"Hella Bella!" Emmett boomed.

"Oh God, Emmett, don't give her that nickname, its awful!" Rosalie stated with disdain.

"What? Should I call her Hola Bella instead? Do you think that's better?"

Everyone groaned.

"Get to know me a little better Emmett, then you can make up whatever nickname you want to. Okay?" I hedged carefully.

_Shit, I didn't mind what they called me. As long as it didn't sound like a gangster name, I was fine._

Alice perked in, "All of the boxes have been brought in from Jazzy's truck. So now we just need the furniture brought up from Emmett's jeep! You manly men can handle that, right?"

"Us manly men can handle anything, right boys?!" Emmett scoffed.

"Yeah!" Jasper and Edward yelled in unison. To make matters even funnier, they all fist pumped the air and did that weird belly jumpy bumpy thingy with each other. Then they went in for a three-way.

_I thought they only did that in the movies. Huh, guess I was wrong._

While the guys thundered down the stairs yelling something about testosterone, us girls looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Alice wiped a stray tear from her eye as she told us that we might as well start unpacking some of the boxes.

We decided that it'd be more beneficial if we all worked in the same room. The bedroom seemed the easiest place to start, and as soon as we walked in I gasped. The room was littered with boxes everywhere! I could barely move because there wasn't much carpet space to put your foot onto.

"Holy shut the door Alice! What'd you do, rob a shopping mall?" I asked. I wasn't sure if any of them cursed or not, and I didn't want to seem like a degenerate if I did. I'd only just met them a few minutes ago and had barely said anything. Wanting to keep my image up, I'd start swearing as soon as someone else did.

"Oh, this is nothing. She's got a lot more stored at her parent's house. These were just the necessities." Rosalie explained as she picked up a box.

"Do you even have room for all of this stuff?" I asked incredulously. I knew what this apartment could hold, and I wasn't sure if it'd hold everything she wanted it to.

"I bought an armoire from IKEA; Jazz and the guys are going to build it for me and then I should have all the room that I need," Alice said sweetly.

I wasn't sure if there was an armoire in this world that would hold all of Alice's clothing, but I was about to be put to the test.

"They should probably build it first before we start unpacking everything. That way we can just hang stuff up and toss the boxes into my apartment for the time being," I suggested.

"True, let's make space for them. How big did you say that this movable closet is?" Rosalie asked as she moved the box that she'd picked up.

"Hm, about the size of that wall," Alice said as she pointed to the wall next to me.

"What? The size of that _entire_ wall? You've got to be fucking kidding me, Ali!" The blonde exclaimed.

_Phew, someone else cursed! I can be set free! YES!_

"But I'm not, dearest one. Let's get the boxes piled up against this wall here for now. The guys should have room to build it then," Alice suggested.

I handed boxes to either Rosalie or Alice, and then they'd move it to the wall and come back for another one. I still wasn't supposed to be bearing too much weight on my ankle, so I didn't want to push myself too hard.

We heard the telltale signs of the guys returning with something large a few minutes later.

"Damn it Emmett! No, turn it the other way! Don't know why it had to be three floors up, but Jesus, this thing is heavy!" I heard Edward state loudly.

"Just calm down, Edward, we'll get it into the apartment," Jasper's soothing voice answered.

We'd just finished moving the boxes out of the way when the guys came in with the package from IKEA. They set it down gently as I took in Edward's sweating face.

God he was gorgeous in shorts and a t-shirt. Shit, he could probably make anything look fantastic. Sweat was dripping down the sides of his face, and as I watched him from the corner of my eye, he used the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat away, slightly revealing part of his abdomen to me. Well to everyone really, but I was the only one paying attention to him.

"…okay, Bella?" Alice asked.

"Hm? Uh yeah, okay." _Shit, what did I just agree to? That's the second time today, I'd better get on my game or else something really bad may happen. Like me embarrassing myself. That'd be pretty bad._

I followed Rosalie and Alice out through the living room into the kitchen.

"So, let's get your workstation started Alice!" Rosalie exclaimed. I looked at her in confusion.

She turned to me and explained, "Alice loves to throw parties. They're usually low key and just for us, but she really gets into them."

I nodded my head in understanding and set to work on placing the dishes inside the cabinets. This room barely had any boxes in it, so the task of unpacking had an air of easy completion.

"So, Bella, tell us about yourself," Alice asked.

"Uh, well, I'm just me I guess. I live next door, obviously. I work at Fuego in the mall. I've been there for a couple of years now. That's about it."

"That can't be all! When's your birthday? What about school? Do you have any boyfriends? Where do your parents live?" Alice asked in rapid succession.

"Geeze, Alice! Calm down with the third degree!" Rosalie chimed in.

"I just want to get to know her! Rose, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you were protecting our newest addition," Alice teased.

Rosalie "hmphed" and continued putting spices away in the cupboard next to mine.

I answered Alice quickly, hoping to diffuse the situation. "My birthday's about two weeks away, on the 13th of this month, actually. I went to high school in Forks, which is about an hour to an hour and a half drive from here. But I didn't go to college. And no on the boyfriend front."

"Girlfriends?" Rosalie asked carefully.

"ROSE!"

"What?! You started this line of questioning. I'm just making sure that all of the facts are known," Rosalie answered with a shoulder shrug.

I barked out a laugh, "No girlfriends either."

The blonde looked crestfallen.

I chuckled humorlessly, "Sorry to disappoint."

"Oh no, it's not that. It's just, well, I guess it'd be interesting, ya know?" she answered simply.

At my puzzled expression, she went on. "I've never met a gay or lesbian person before that's all."

"What about your parents, where are they at?" Alice asked again.

"My dad lives in Forks, and my mom remarried a couple of years ago and lives in Florida."

"Are they coming up for your birthday?"

I shuffled my feet, uncomfortable with the line of questioning surrounding my birthday. "Er, no. I usually just talk to them on my birthday while they send me packages in the mail. Every once in a while my dad and I will get together and go to dinner or something, but I'm not a big fan of celebrating my birthday. Or celebrating anything in particular actually, I'm used to being by myself."

"That's kind of sad, Bella. Everyone should like to celebrate their birthday," Rosalie interjected.

Alice interrupted, "Okay, let's change gears here; I don't want to be sad! I'm so glad that Edward went over there to check on you for Uncle Carlisle, Bella. I just have this feeling that you're going to fit in superbly with all of us."

_Oh, so that's why he knocked on the door, to check on me for his father. Nice Bella, real show stopper you are._

"Me too," I answered back somewhat glumly.

"So tell me again why Jasper's not moving in with you?" Rose asked from the next cabinet. I was almost done with the box that I'd opened.

"His parents have this thing about him being a proper gentleman. The only time we'll live together is after we get married, which could be in a few years at the rate we're going," Alice answered stoically.

"I'm glad that your mom and dad aren't like that, Ali. If they were then I'd have a major beef with your family for cutting into my screwing time."

"Eww, gross Rose! I do _not_ want to think about how often you and my brother boff each other six ways from Sunday."

"We'll be getting married in a few months, sweetheart. You'd better get used to it."

"You and Em boffing everywhere or the fact that you'll be married?"

I watched as Rose turned to Alice with a wicked smirk on her face. "Both."

_Oh no, I'm starting to like these people already. This blondie has a sense of humor somewhere close to mine. Mayday, mayday, mayday! Red alert, red alert!_

We continued in silence for a little while, with the clinking of things being put away the only sound.

Before I knew it, we had the kitchen completely unpacked, and everything was in an order that Alice was comfortable with.

"Alice, we're done sugar. Why don't you come in here and admire the handiwork that your men have done for you?" Jasper called from the bedroom.

The three of us left the kitchen and made our way into the room with the boys. "Oh Jazzy! It's absolutely gorgeous!" Alice squealed as we entered the room.

The wood was cherry red with a light sheen finish and had a shaded glass cabinet that opened up to reveal a set of drawers.

She jumped into Jasper's arms and he swung her around like a cheesy romantic reunion.

Rose decided to break the awkward silence that had accumulated as they did their swinging hug thing, "All right boys, I think it's time for you all to bring in the rest of the furniture. Then we can finish setting up the rest of the place."

Emmet and Edward mock saluted Rose as they left down the room to escape the love fest that was transpiring between the other couple.

Rose and I backed out slowly as to not draw any attention to ourselves. Once we were clear of the door frame, we high tailed it out of there and into the dining room.

"So… since the lovebirds have decided to take over the bedroom, how about we tell the guys to just bring in the things that we can set up in the rest of the apartment?" Rosalie asked.

"Sure thing, you just want to head down there or should we toss the boxes into my apartment first?" I honestly didn't mind all of the extra space being taken up. I had plenty that I was willing to share.

"Let's make room for them in here and put the boxes in your apartment. It's their fault if they walk in on Alice and Jazz fucking up against the wall," the blonde said without care.

"All right, go ahead and grab a few of the broken down boxes from in here and follow me," I said hastily as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed some cardboard.

She followed behind me as I walked out of Alice's apartment. The keys to my apartment were poised in my hand as she followed behind me.

"I don't know about you, but I say we give them a little time and take a break after we throw this stuff into your apartment. Cool?"

Keen to not hear any of the lovebirds sexing, I quickly agreed and practically mauled my door in an attempt to get it opened.

Shit, I didn't know how loud they could be. And in any case I didn't care to find out how Godlike Jasper's cock was—at least not today, maybe tomorrow if I wasn't busy.

While Rosalie was finessing the cardboard into a manageable heap behind my couch, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge. I tossed two to Rosalie, one at a time, who caught them with ease and nodded appreciatively.

I brought an extra one with me as we left my apartment and went down the stairs slowly, savoring the task of not having to do anything for the next few minutes.

When we reached the silver Jeep, Emmett and Edward were arguing over something.

"Dude, if I were you, I'd totally just do it already," Emmett said seriously as we came up behind him.

Edward was inside the back of the Jeep, lifting another large box from IKEA up and out to Emmett, who was standing outside of the vehicle to catch it.

Edward saw us first, his eyes widening, "Hey Rose. Hi Bella. What are you doing out here… with us?" his voice wavered.

Emmett's head twisted around so fast I thought I heard a vertebra crack.

"What are you going to do?" Rose asked as she passed a water-bottle to Emmett, who had set down the box he had been taking out of the car.

"Er, Alice's house-warming party. We were just deciding whether or not to dress up for it. You know, to make Alice super happy."

Rose cocked her head to the side and answered, "I didn't know that Alice had already planned a house-warming party."

"It's Alice, somehow I believe that she's already got her funeral and wake planned," Edward interjected.

I walked past Emmett and Rosalie with my eyes trained on the ground, handing Edward the extra water-bottle I had carried downstairs. My fingers brushed his and the electricity between us flared. I tried to stifle the gasp that passed through my lips involuntarily, but it was no use. I saw his face move slightly in my peripheral vision, looking from our hands to my face. I knew if I looked up I'd turn into the drooling mass of flesh I always did when I was around him. I tried, I really did, but I couldn't hold out a second longer. I felt as if I was on fire, and looking into his smoldering eyes, a wave of arousal surged through me.

My knees nearly gave out on me as I trembled. I could feel my nipples pebbling out of sheer reaction to him. His eyes were dark, forest green, and his lips were parted. His wet, pink tongue darted out to moisten his lips, and I nearly moaned. I was sure that I at least had a catch in my throat.

"Bella, I-" he started.

I couldn't let him continue. I wouldn't. His voice was making me drip liquid passion onto my panties, and it was all I could do to keep myself from launching my body at him.

"Thanks so much for checking on me for your father, Edward," I blurted out.

His nostrils flared as if I'd offended him, and he was about to tell me off for something. "You're welcome, but I didn't just come by for my father, Bella. I-"

"What are we paying you guys to do? Just stand around and gossip?!" Alice yelled from the front balcony of our building.

I kept my eyes on Edward, willing him to tell me what I so desperately needed to hear.

_I need you._

_I want you._

_Take me._

_I'm yours._

"Well, Alice, you're not paying us anything! So technically, we can stand around and gossip all day long if we choose to!" Rosalie called back.

_Hold this connection._

_Don't break it._

_Can't lose you._

_There's something more here._

_Please._

"Edward, how about we get Alice off our backs and finish unloading the furniture? Edward? Dude you paying attention?" Emmett suggested from behind me.

"Bella! How about we order some pizza! I bet you know the greatest pizza joint around here! Bella?!" I broke our startling gazes at each other and turned to face Alice on the staircase.

"Sure Alice. Let's go back up to my apartment and root through my take-out drawer," I said as I started walking towards her. I didn't have it in me to be cheery and peppy at the moment. My mind was whirling with the unspoken possibilities that had silently passed through Edward and me.

_He's engaged, Bella, keep your mind focused on that! Besides, there's no way he'd be even remotely interested in you. You're Plain Jane compared to Tanya, she's like the Queen of England. _

I somehow had already gotten to my apartment door without realizing it. Alice stood behind me, bouncing on the balls of her feet as if ready to pounce.

Her post coital bliss was radiating off of her; she practically glowed as she happily bounded into the apartment after me.

"Well, you already know the kitchen. This right here is the true Taj Mahal of it all though," I said as I pulled open the drawer full of menus.

She regarded me carefully, eyes scrutinizing my face as if I was some complex puzzle. After a moment of silence, she shook her head as though she were getting rid of an errant thought and stated, "You're birthday party is set for the Friday two weeks from now."

_Crazy girl that thought I'd like a birthday party say what?_

I snorted. "What was that Alice? I must not have heard you correctly. I thought you said that my birthday party was planned for two weeks away."

"Completely correct. My house-warming party will also serve as your birthday party. Now, which of these multicolored, kid-friendly pamphlets will bring us the most delicious pizza known to man?" she replied quickly.

"Oh, no you don't! If you think you can get away with just springing a birthday party on me, you're wrong little missie!" I sputtered.

"I've noticed a few things about you, Bella, dear. One is that you don't seem too interested in anything closely related to yourself. Your clothes, your appearance, your attitude. They're all disguises. You're hiding yourself from the world. Well I'm here to help you change all that."

"What if I don't want to change?" I challenged as I quirked an eyebrow at her.

She took my hands into hers and held them tightly, her eyes shinning with hope. "How do you know that you don't want to? Have you ever really thought about what your life would be like if you thought differently? If you just treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated, you're life, the way you see your life, will be so much different. So much better."

I'd only known this little ball of sunshine for approximately three hours and she was trying to give me a life make-over. What kind of fuckery was this? But there was something in the things she said that had me thinking. "Alice, I-"

She put a hand up to my lips, silencing me. "You don't have to give me an answer now, but I want you think about it. Whichever you decide, I still want us to be friends. I just want what's best for you, and right now, that means a change. I think you'll thank me at some point." She pulled me into a hug, and when I pulled back, she had a smile on her face.

"Now, what about that pizza?"

The two of us ordered a few pizzas from the closest pizzeria and went back to the group making their way up the stairs.

"All right folks, lets try and get the living room set up. Pizza will be here in about a half an hour!" Alice shouted enthusiastically.

"Oh, pizza! You sure do know how to make a guy happy, Ali," Emmet exclaimed.

"She sure does. And if I ever hear of you getting happy off of my woman in a way that doesn't involve food, I'll kill you with a pitchfork up the ass. I'll even do it with love," Jasper chimed in.

Everyone laughed at the startled expression on Emmett's face as Jasper's words registered with him.

"Don't worry Jazz. I've only got eyes for one woman. It's either that or I'll become best friends with Rosie Palm," Emmett made a gesture of stroking himself, and everyone but Rose groaned.

"Baby, don't do that. You know what your actions do to me. I might have to take you into Alice's bathroom and molest you," she said in a deep voice.

I turned to Alice and whispered, "Are they always like this?"

"Unfortunately, but they won't do anything. At least, I don't think they will. I'm not sure if they've crossed public sex off of their list yet."

"They have a list?" I asked incredulously.

"They think I don't know, but I know everything," she said as she tapped her temple.

"So you are psychic?!" I whisper-yelled at her.

"No, like I said, I just know how to be sneaky," she answered with a smirk.

"You're the Devil; you do know that, right?" I returned.

"But that's why you and I get along so well. I reach out to your darker side."

"I heard we have cookies."

"Chocolate Chip, they're still baking in the oven."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled as she started laughing.

Edward spoke up, "Well, if you're all done making jokes, let's get everything set up. I don't feel like sitting on the carpet while I eat."

I almost told him that he could munch on my carpet anytime, but luckily held back. Saying that out loud would've been social suicide and even I knew it.

We all headed into her apartment and began setting everything up in the living room, Alice making suggestions and pointing where things should go the entire time.

The boys did all of the heavy lifting, putting things together and moving pieces of furniture in the correct position while Rosalie and I continued emptying boxes.

We had gotten the room put together in the amount of time it took for the pizzas to arrive. We all felt happy with ourselves, at the rate we were going, we'd have the entire apartment done before nightfall.

Alice paid the delivery boy quickly while everyone shuffled over to help her carry the delectable-smelling packages and soda inside. I stayed in the background, deciding the "trampled by starved young adults" wasn't the reading I wanted on my tombstone and grabbed some plates and cups from the kitchen.

I was surprised when I felt someone's footsteps behind me. I turned slowly, unsure if that was the sound I'd heard and was almost frozen to the spot. Edward stood leaning before me, a lazy grin on his lips and an elbow on the counter top.

"What is it, Edward? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked as I brought the plates down from the cabinet.

"You look just so at home already," he said calmly.

"Well I just thought that we'd like some plates. Alice doesn't seem like the type of person who'd love to have grease stains all over the furniture."

"I think she'd have a coronary if anyone ever put a grease print on her fine leather couch."

"See, that's what I mean. I'm just saving time."

"No, you're thoughtful."

I blushed, _what the fuck do you say back to that?_ "Er, thanks Edward."

Edward's returning smile almost did me in. It was dazzling.

Emmett rushed into the kitchen with the pizzas piled in his hands. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" he said as he set them down on the countertop. Edward moved out of his way and in my direction quickly, coming to a stop next to me. We weren't even touching and had this eerie electricity between us. I wanted nothing more than to reach out my hand and hold his. In fact, that's what I did. Without even thinking about it, my hand reached out towards his.

_What are you doing?! No, no, no! Abort! Abort! Hand to the hair, hand to the hair!!_

My hand bypassed his and started traveling upwards, towards his mop of gorgeous hair.

_Ack! What?! Not _his_ hair, my hair! MY HAIR! _

I pulled my hand in quickly and let out a breath as it quickly connected with my own locks.

Edward looked at me when I sighed. I explained hastily, "Had an itch."

Emmett clapped in glee as he opened the first box. He had the entire Meat Lover's pizza all to himself while the rest of us picked from the pepperoni and vegetarian pizzas.

Anytime we'd go near the Meat Lover's, Emmett would growl at us and snap his jaws.

"You don't go near my man when he's got his ML's," Rose explained in an undertone to me as we settled down in the living room. She and I were on a black leather loveseat while Alice, Edward, and Jasper were on another black couch across from us. Emmett was eating his pizza from the box on the floor next to where Rosalie was situated.

"So Bella, tell us how you and Edward met," Jasper said after his first bite of vegetarian.

I liked the way that Jasper had said it, like we were together as an item of some sort. "We met at the hospital about a week ago."

"Are you volunteering too?"

I didn't really want everyone to know that I was an über klutz; seeing how I already got mocked enough thank you very much. I felt my face blush and my stuttering start as I tried to figure out what to say.

"Yes, she is actually. She was there to take the grand tour," Edward said easily.

My head turned to him with my mouth gaping open. His eyebrow rose a little, as if asking me to contradict him and tell the world that I really was a spaz.

"That's really cool of you Bella. I bet it'll make you feel a lot better, like you're doing something worthwhile," Alice spoke up from beside Edward. She really knew I was a patient, not a volunteer. I smiled gratefully at the both of them.

"Way cool Fella Bella," Everyone groaned at Emmett's attempt at another nickname for me.

"You are such a fucking goober, Emmy Bear, don't try so hard, a nickname will appear when the time is right," I said between mouthfuls of pizza.

"Emmy Bear? You make me sound like a marshmallow," Emmett said from the floor.

"Emmy's short for Emmett and Bear because you're so huge! But you're also soft like a teddy bear, or like a gummy bear. So yes, your name should sound fluffy because you are," I said playfully.

Everyone laughed at our banter and the conversation flowed smoothly. We spent the next half-hour getting farther into everyone's histories.

Jasper was from the South, Georgia to be specific, and was in his last year at the University of Washington as a history major. Still not sure what he wanted to do for a career with his choice of major, but he would be taking a year off after he graduated to weigh his options. He and Alice met during their first Introduction to Psychology class, when Alice pushed his friend out of the way to sit next to him. She held out her hand to introduce herself, and then told him that they'd be seeing an awful lot more of each other for the rest of their lives. He was hooked and hadn't looked back since.

Alice was born in Seattle and into money. When her mother remarried, she had picked a wealthy researcher who dealt with major corporations eco-friendly alternative planning divisions. He got paid the big bucks for helping to save the world, how cool. Alice was in her third year at UW, majoring in fashion design, and absolutely loved learning there. She hated the dorms though, and thus why she was moving into the apartment next to me. We were located within a ten to fifteen minute drive from the main campus, which suited her perfectly. The night before she met Jasper, she'd had a dream about a golden haired, blue eyed man that would make her happy and feel whole. As soon as her eyes had locked onto him, she knew that she had to do everything in her power to get him.

Emmett was originally born in Colorado, though he and his mother lived with Carlisle after his father had died in a hit and run accident. He was the manager at a garage that serviced cars and even did some detailing work. Rose had walked in one day and applied for a position as a mechanic, taking him completely by surprise. She could talk shit and stand up for herself like no other woman he'd ever known. They'd been dating for the past few years and he had just recently proposed to her. They were planning their wedding for this coming spring.

Rosalie was born and raised in Oregon, her and her mother only moving here after her parents had divorced when she was fifteen. She had a fascination with engines, learning everything she could about them and how they moved together, they were her number one hobby. She worked to get the things that she really wanted, but was so naturally gifted in the looks department that she didn't have to work that hard. If she used the right words and right position of her body, people would just give her what she wanted. Emmett was the only person, aside from her mother, who treated her as any other person. He expected her to work, he expected her to do the things that she needed to get done, and he also expected her to be the woman he knew she could be. He saw past her beautiful exterior to her inner beauty, something that a lot of others hadn't done before.

After we couldn't eat anymore we decided to get back to work since there wasn't much left to unpack. The only rooms left were the dining room, the bathroom, and the bedroom. The boys were putting together the dining room table and a desk. They couldn't start to put the bed-frame together until the clothing boxes were taken care of first, so the other girls and I took care of filling the wardrobe and making as much space as possible for them.

"I swear to all that is holy Alice, you need to do some major purging of your closet," Rose said in mock anger.

"Oh, like your closet is any better?" Alice quipped back.

"Actually, it is. At least someone _else_ can use it. What are you going to do for Jasper if he ever needs a drawer?"

"Ah, the elusive drawer problem, how it squashes the hopes of many a person in its infinite quest to be obtained," I said mystically.

Rose snorted and Alice giggled. I did my job—break up the tension.

"So how old are you going to be? I never really asked before," Alice brought up beside me.

"Twenty-one, and thanks for bringing it back up," I said, a little miffed.

"Oh my God, it's going to be your twenty-first birthday and you didn't tell us?!" Rose shrieked on the other side of me. Somehow I'd been thrown in the middle of an estrogen sandwich; if we started singing "We Are Family" I was going to have to shoot myself.

Emmett chose that moment to run in. "What's going on? I heard screaming. Is everyone all right?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes everything's fine, Bella's birthday is soon and she didn't want to tell us how old she's going to be. Couldn't you hear that from out there?"

Emmett looked sheepish as he replied, "Honestly baby, when you start screaming at me I kind of tune you out. It all just becomes this high-pitched buzzing sound."

"Always when I scream? You seem to follow orders when I scream some things at you,"

Rose qualified as she cocked an eyebrow.

Emmett stepped forward until he was within Rose's personal bubble, "That's when I know I can make you-"

"Hey, guys, standing right here! We don't need to know what makes Rose come faster than a choo-choo train," I interrupted.

Everyone in the room, besides me, busted out into hysterical laughter at my choice of words while Jasper and Edward came in to see what all of the hubbub was about.

I shrugged a shoulder at their questioning looks and stated, "I said choo-choo train." Emmett, Rose, and Alice busted out into another round of guffaws at the word.

"You want a train for your birthday?" Edward asked questioningly.

I threw my hands up in the air and exclaimed, "Gah! I don't want anything for my birthday!" I stopped for a moment. "Wait a minute how the fuck did you know about it?"

"We heard Rose screaming about you turning twenty-one," Jasper said.

"So you couldn't let Emmett know that?"

Edward pretended to think about it for a second. "Mm, nope." He smacked his lips together before grinning at me.

"You're evil," I accused with narrowed eyes.

"Alice is related to me, where do you think she got it from?"

"Oh I could tell many a story about the three of us getting into trouble," Emmett gloated gleefully from behind me.

"Save it for another time dear brother, another time. It's starting to get late. We really need to get my bed set up so you guys can get home soon," Alice said while trying to clap a hand on her brother's massive shoulder. She was too short and could only put it up to the back of his shoulder blade. She patted it anyways.

The boys filed out of the bedroom while we remained behind to finally finish sorting through all of Alice's clothes. We called the boys in to get the bed-frame built while we looked dutifully on from the bathroom, seemingly putting things away as we secretly ogled them. All right, so Alice and Rosalie straight out ogled, while I had to hide my, er, appreciation of their tight bodies.

"We have some fine specimens of prime male meat over there, don't we, Ali?"

"Yes indeed Rose, we're some very lucky women. Bella, doesn't Edward look scrumptious?"

"Er, uh… yeah, sure." I stuttered out. _Engaged to be married, engaged to be married!_

They were all bent over different parts of the frame, pushing the pieces into each other.

_If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they're trying to dry hump the furniture. _

"Edward's been behaving oddly lately. Have you noticed, Ali?" Rose asked as she turned toward the pixie.

_What I wouldn't give for him to hump me. Great now I sound like a pervert._

"A little bit. Now that you mention it, he does seem to be daydreaming an awful lot. It's like he's not really with us but in another place. Kind of like you today, Bella, unless that's how you usually act," Alice answered.

_Shit, not again! What the fuck is wrong with me?!_

"Hm? Oh, what? Sorry, I guess I was spacing out. Could you say that again?" I answered while shaking my head.

Alice turned to Rosalie and me with a smirk on her face, "I was just saying that Edward and you seem to have a lot in common."

"Oh, wh-why do you say that?" I stuttered out.

"Well you're volunteering, he's volunteering. You're helping me out, he's helping me out. You're making goo-goo eyes at him; he's making goo-goo eyes at you."

At the last one I had to snort, "Oh Alice, you've got to be dreaming. I'm not making any kind of eyes at him, and he is most definitely not making any kind of eyes back."

The two of them gave me a look that said, _Like we really believe you and know the fuck better_.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Seriously guys, nothing's going on. Oh, it looks like they're done. We might as well finish up in here while they bring in the mattress and the desk. Come on."

I hastily started grabbing things out of the box next to me, intent on two things. A) keeping my eyes away from Edward, and 2) keeping the other girls from seeing my traitorous blush.

The fourteen-year-old hormonal girl inside of me was trying to squee her way out at the fact that I wasn't just imagining things, and that they had indeed caught Edward staring back at me.

_I'm not the only one going insane! Yay me!_

They must have caught on to the notion that I didn't want to talk about it any longer because they also set to work on finishing the bathroom. It only took us ten minutes.

We then busied ourselves with getting the last room finished—the dining room. We set the chairs, pulled the desk around to face the front of the counter-top island and even moved a fake potted plant into the corner to add some color.

Alice told us that over the next couple of days she'd be bringing in more things to liven up the place. I totally believed her, and I would totally not be helping. As it was, I was fairly exhausted. I hadn't been on my feet that much since the night I'd sprained my ankle. I needed to start doing some endurance exercises or something; otherwise, when I was released to return to full duty at work, I wouldn't be able to last an eight hour shift. I'd be sitting on the floor in the corner, sucking my thumb and calling for my mommy.

The boys walked out of the bedroom wearing similar masks of exhaustion. I couldn't blame them; they had done more than me today. Lifting things and putting things together and wiping the sweat from their foreheads with their shirts and _Bella you need to stop it right now!_

We had all situated ourselves around the couches much like we had before, though now us girls took up the couch and Emmett took up the loveseat, while Edward and Jasper sprawled out on the floor.

"Hey Alice," Edward called.

"Yeah Edward?" she answered.

"The next time that you move, don't call me," he finished with a sigh.

"I ditto that sentiment," Emmett said from the loveseat.

"You can't Emmett, you're my brother. Whatever I ask of you, you do," Alice said drowsily.

"Fuck that shit. I want a divorce," replied Emmett.

"You can't divorce me from being your sister. We're blood related, you oaf," Alice spat back.

It was a very funny conversation. I wish I had had the energy to laugh. At the very least I managed a weak, half-hearted chuckle.

Someone in the room sighed. I couldn't tell who it was, though I seriously thought it might have been me.

"Does anyone know what time it is?" I asked slowly. I had to be at work the next morning, and no doubt that some of the others had previous engagements to attend to as well.

"It's dark outside the window. Does that answer your question?" Jasper drawled from the floor, his neck bent at a weird angle to see the sliding door to the back patio.

"Ugh, I should be getting home. I still need to take a shower and get ready for work tomorrow," I complained from my position on the couch.

"Shit, we've still got to drive home, Em," Rose added.

"At least Jasper and I aren't that far from here," Edward stated from the floor.

"Okay guys, I get the hint. I'm kicking all of your asses out. Go home. Take some pizza with you if you want," Alice declared while pushing herself off of the couch.

I offered Alice my hand to help me up. At the moment, I wasn't sure if I still had a spine—I couldn't feel it and my appendages felt like jelly. I caught Rose's hand and pulled her up along with me. Once standing, I turned in the other direction and was met with a hand reaching up to me from the floor.

His fingers were at the level of my crotch, and my god, what I wouldn't give for him to just curl his fingers around me, providing some sweet relief. He'd been driving me fucking crazy all day.

I looked down at him and was met with his dazzling green eyes. Though he was as tired and surely as exhausted as we all felt, his eyes still sparkled at me and made my knees ever weaker. It was almost like he had a secret that he wanted to share, but was delighted in the fact that he couldn't right now.

I heard Alice trying to pull Jasper up while Rose was talking with Emmett softly. I reached out my hand to his, surprised to find his skin softer than I thought it would be, and gently pulled.

I should've known that something bad would have happened. I had gone through the entire day scratch free. I was due some humiliation.

I overestimated how much force I'd have to use to pull Edward up from the ground, and instead of pulling him fully upright, I pulled his body laterally into mine. My already weak knees didn't help me any as the momentum caught the both of us off guard, and I fell onto my back on the floor. Edward landed on top of me, forcing the air out of my chest in a rush as my head hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud. We were basically doing the horizontal mambo on the floor, only with clothes on.

"Are you guys okay?" Alice asked from somewhere above us.

"We're fine Alice. Help Rose and Jasper get Emmett off the couch, I think he might have fallen asleep," he answered in her direction.

"Not again! Baby, Baby! I need you to get up now, come on," Rose exclaimed as she tried to revive Emmett.

Edward was in between my legs, missionary style, and I fought back the urge to thrust my hips into him. Our hands were still linked though they landed above my head, as if he was holding it as we made sweet, passionate love. He was looking into my eyes; shock and fear evident in his features as his other hand came up to gently prod at my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice husky and panicky.

I could only nod, not trusting my voice to say anything that wasn't R rated.

Squirming as he hit a particularly sensitive spot on my head, I whimpered at his touch and he froze above me.

My concern grew. "Are you-" _Oh my god, is that a bulge in his pants?_

I took an unsteady breath in and finished my sentence, giving him a way out, "-okay?"

His voice cracked as he answered, "I'm all right, just don't move for a second."

_Oh sweet baby jebus in a manger, he was acknowledging his hard on!_

I tried my hardest not to laugh, moan, or throw myself at him some more, but good lord it was difficult. I could hear Rose slapping Emmett across the back of the head and turned my eyes to watch them.

Alice and Jasper each had an arm of Emmett's and were tugging on him with all of their might. Rose was behind his torso on the couch, trying to shove him up.

A warm presence on my cheek alerted me to the fact that Edward had just rested his forehead on it, and warming my entire being. I could even feel his eyes close, his long lashes brushing against my jaw. If I was watching this happen with someone else, I would have gone, "Aww". But instead I was living it, and my entire being was screaming at me to get up before I attacked him.

I felt him sigh across my neck, and I shivered at the burst of air on my skin, my shoulders making my back arch against the floor. Bolts of electricity shocked straight through me to my core and causing my nipples to harden.

_Why, oh why, does my neck have to be such a turn on spot for me?!_

He gasped at my body's reactions, his hand clutching mine in a death grip as his other hand came down from my head to my waist. He lifted his head from my cheek, and I swear to god his eyes looked almost black. I'm pretty sure that I looked wanton at the moment: my cheeks flushed pink, my lips parted and red, my breaths coming out in short pants.

_His lips are parted too; he's just licked them; he's panting like I am._

He was moving his lips closer to mine.

_Oh god, please don't let me be dreaming._

I could see each and every single one of his eyelashes—long and black against his immaculate skin.

Taking agonizingly slow movements, he moved closer still.

_Engaged. Marriage. _

_Not. Mine. _

My heart thudded to a stop and I wrenched my body away from his, finding strength I didn't know I had to move.

Rosalie, Jasper and Alice hadn't noticed a thing going on between Edward and I, for Emmett was just coming to from his impromptu nap, and they were high-fiving each other in victory.

"I'll see you all later. I've got to go now," I practically screamed as I quickly exited the apartment, hoping no one would stop me.

I grabbed my keys from my pocket as the door to Alice's apartment slammed shut behind me. I only had a few seconds to get inside before I went into system overload out on the stairs.

_Tick_

Fumbling with the keys, hands shaking.

_Tick_

Dropping the keys, cursing my luck.

_Tick_

Picking them up and slamming them into the lock, opening it frantically.

_Tick_

Edward opened Alice's door as I hastily shut and locked mine behind me.

_Boom_

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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	6. Decisions

Chapter 6: Decisions

XOXOXOXO

_I am electricity personified. Simple gestures and wordless glances undo me, only from your eyes and your being am I completely incapacitated. You are taken, the inability to be mine. I am ashamed I feel this way about someone who has already promised their life, their love, their soul, to another. What would I do if I had met your lips in a lustful kiss? Would I have been able to stop it? Would I have wanted it to? You confuse me, my body's natural responses spin me out of control and I feel as though I've been thrown into a room with no lights. Where am I? What am I? Am I even here? Are you here? Loneliness. _

I didn't know what to do with myself.

After I'd closed the door, I could hear Edward and Alice's voices out from the landing. I couldn't understand what they were saying exactly, but I was sure it had something to do with me and the fact that I'm the craziest woman he'd ever met. Eventually, I had heard footsteps walking down the stairs, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. If he'd come after me, I don't know how long I could've lasted without opening the door and molesting his body in a very R-rated manner—engagement be damned.

Honestly, I'd probably just done the most embarrassing fucking thing of all time in front of any real non-work friends I had made since I'd moved to this city. The thought of losing any connection between them made me feel sick. It was ridiculous! I'd only just met them for Christ's sake!

Spending the rest of the night overanalyzing everything that had happened between Edward and me that day, I came up with one conclusion. I was imagining things. I must have passed out after hitting my head on the carpet last night and thus had dreamt the entire situation up.

It was the only thing that made sense to me. What other possible reason was there? That he liked me? That he found me attractive? _Puh-lease._

I was nowhere near the same realm as Edward when it came to attractiveness; in fact, we were galaxies apart. He shined, I faded. He lived, I existed. We were two polar opposites in every way, yet I felt drawn to him unlike anything I'd ever encountered before. It was jarring enough to scare the living crap out of me.

Sleep did find me at some point, though my dreams felt like I was being chased through a maze. I didn't know where I was going, and whenever I turned around to see which way I should go, an obstacle would spring up in front of me and I'd run full force into it. I was disoriented, breathing heavily, and I could barely contain the sobs that threatened to spill from my lips.

I had awoken the next morning disoriented and completely at unease, as if something would pop out at me whenever I wasn't expecting it. I went to work and came back, trying my hardest to not make too much noise on the stairwell.

As much as Alice and I had connected, after my hasty departure the night before, I felt embarrassed to see her again so soon. Perhaps when my mind had recovered from whatever mental spaz attack I'd had, I'd go over there voluntarily and apologize. I just needed a little bit more time to think.

Though my ankle was steadily improving, I still made quite a bit of noise as I made my way up the stairs. I thought I'd been successful in my attempt to get to my apartment stealthily, but my hop and limp method proved to be my undoing. Alice's door was unceremoniously thrown open, and she stood before me, hands on her hips and foot tapping impatiently.

"So do you want to explain to me what happened to you last night? One minute you're there and the next minute, poof! you're gone," she exclaimed wildly while making hand gestures.

"Er, give me a second to get all the way into my apartment first, Alice, before you jump on me," I stalled while fiddling with the lock on my door.

"Oh, I plan on jumping you, sweetie-pie. You won't know what hit you! Oh, and that reminds me, we're going to fix your wardrobe big time. I don't think you have a decent shred of clothing even remotely acceptable for the hospital." She hounded me until I'd gotten the door unlocked and ushered her inside, pivoting to turn the alarm off. The petite raven-haired ball of energy waltzed in and plopped down on my plushy, beige couch.

"Please, Alice, make yourself comfortable," I said sarcastically as I threw my keys onto the table.

"Don't start that attitude with me. We're going to be best friends damn it; I will not let you weasel your way out of giving me answers. Now, spill," she dictated as she pointed a well manicured finger to the spot next to her.

I sighed dramatically as I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest. If she was going to get information out of me, she wasn't going to get it without a fight.

"So what did you want to know?" I asked in my most irritated voice.

"What happened last night? Why'd you leave so quickly?" she immediately chirped.

_How to stall? What to say? Didn't I just ask for a reprieve a second ago? Damn luck._

"I, er, forgot that I also had to do laundry last night. If I hadn't then I wouldn't have had any clean clothes for work today." _God I hope that sounds legit._

Her quirked eyebrow and pursed lips told me that she didn't believe it. Luckily, I held my own glare and stared her down until she relented and asked a new question.

"Do you like Edward?"

That one caught me completely by surprise. If we'd been drinking anything, I'm sure that I would have done a spit-take. Liquid would be spewing all over the place from my mouth and I'd have a hell of a time trying to cover that kind of a thing up.

As bad as it was, I sputtered like hell anyways. "Wha-I mean-ho-how could yo-you think…?" I trailed off miserably as I unfolded my arms and started to play with the fringe of my jacket.

Looking down and away from Alice, I continued, "Sure Alice, I like Edward. He's a good friend."

I couldn't lie for shit and if I made the horrible mistake of looking her in the eyes, everything would be over. I waited with bated breath for her answer, my hands still playing with my jacket and eyes trained to the floor.

Finally she spoke, her words sounding calculated and even. "Okay Bella, I understand what you're saying."

_Yes, but do you understand what I'm not saying?_

I looked into her eyes, a look of gratitude evident on my face.

She continued, "We're still going to have to find you some new clothes for volunteer service though."

My eyes widened with disbelief. I didn't think they were being serious last night. "Alice, I'm extremely squeamish. If I'm around blood, I pass the fuck out," I stated as I tried to back out of it.

Even though I was the most accident prone woman in all of existence, I had never gotten used to the blood that I'd spilled. Every time I cut myself I had to look away immediately. The walls would turn sideways and I'd end up on the floor—if I wasn't already there in the first place.

"Bella, dear, you'll be volunteering in the same wards as Edward does, I'm sure that he can protect you. Heck, I don't think Edward's ever seen a drop of blood while he's been at the hospital," she stated while inspecting her nails. She looked up at me and smiled. The bitch was playing me into a corner that I couldn't get out of and she knew it.

I groaned internally. I didn't have time to volunteer at the hospital; I barely had time to take care of myself without having to worry about someone else's needs.

_It would be another way to see Edward._

_Shut it, stupid brain._

_You know you like him. Seeing him once a week would probably keep you sane._

_This coming from my internal monologue. Nice._

_Well, I'm sure Edward will visit you once you're in the loony wing._

_Oh, I can only hope._

My head fell forward into my hands, and I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Alice, honey, bane of my existence. If I agree to do the volunteering thing, will you promise not to mess with my footwear? I already have enough problems without you ruining my only stability option."

She gave this little high-pitched scream thing that sounded very familiar and a light bulb went off in my head. That sound was the one I'd heard about a week ago when I thought I was hearing things. I wasn't losing my mind like I thought I was!

_Take that brain!_

_You're still talking to yourself, you know that right?_

_Aw, shit._

She hugged me from the side and I swear she was pulling me back and forth with her.

"I'm so glad that you agreed because I already found you a new outfit! I'll be right back," she said as she clapped gleefully and launched herself from the couch.

I briefly contemplated locking the door on her sugar-induced ass, but thought better of it. She'd probably make a scene, and to be honest, her excitement made little butterflies appear in my stomach.

I could be seeing Edward once a week.

If I let her dress me, then I might actually look good to him.

Some wheels were turning in my head that hadn't turned in god knows how long. For the first time in a long while, I felt positive about a decision I'd made. I could actually be helping people instead of just allowing them to waltz through my life.

While Alice went to her apartment, I got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. I could at least offer the pixie something to drink and I was thirsty as fuck. Just as I opened a bottle of apple juice, Alice walked back in through the front door with a large bag in her hands.

"Now, I think these should fit, but I grabbed an extra size bigger in case I was wrong," she said as she handed the bag to me.

I offered her a bottle and she took it from me, beaming a smile at me.

I peered into the bag carefully. As long as she didn't make me look like a circus freak, I wouldn't kill her. I was mildly surprised at the outfit that she'd picked out though. It didn't look ostentatious at all and if I was willing to admit it, I kind of liked it.

The outfit was much like Edward's the night I'd first laid eyes on him—khaki pants and polo shirt—though his shirt was dark gray while mine was dark blue.

"Well, go and try it on! I want to make sure everything fits," she said as she took in my expression.

I left her in the living room while I changed into the things she had bought me. I was shocked as shit. She'd picked out my size perfectly, though the pants were a little tighter than I was used to. I was confident that after wearing them in, they'd loosen up a touch.

Walking out into the living room, I was rewarded with Alice's enthusiastic smile. She asked me to spin around, and once I did, I was rewarded with a pat on the back. Actually, the pat was more like a shove as I was propelled towards the front door.

"Grab your purse, we're leaving."

"Alice, I just got home-"

"No. We are leaving. I said grab your purse. I'm driving."

I turned and tried my hardest to glare at her, but the look on her face shut me up and I scurried out of my apartment faster than a concubine drops down for her master.

Having no clue what Alice's car looked like, I waited at the bottom of the stairs for her to lead the way. I stood gawking at the car she walked toward.

"You seriously drive that around Seattle?"

"Of course I do. Now get in before I decide to run you over."

Pushy Alice was starting to worry me. I hopped into the passenger's side of her new yellow VW Bug and fastened my seatbelt. She started the engine, and we were pulling out of the apartment complex before she finally turned to me with another smile in place.

"I called ahead and made sure that you didn't have an appointment yet, so I know it's okay for us to show up."

"Alice, road. Watch the road, sweetheart." I latched onto the "Oh Shit" handle like it was a life preserver.

"I am, silly. I can multi-task very well if you must know." She turned her head back to the asphalt in front of us in time to veer into the next lane and pass the car in front of us.

"So where are you taking me?" I tried to be as menacing as possible without pissing my pants. Her driving scared the fuck out of me.

"To the very best place on Earth," was her only reply.

"You're taking me hostage to Disneyland?" That caught me off guard.

She sighed condescendingly, "I said the best place on Earth, not the happiest. Besides, they're opening The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a few months, I'm sure that'll be the new happiest place."

"Really? Sweet. Wait, what am I saying? Where the hell are you taking me?"

We veered into another lane, and I suddenly didn't want to be opening my mouth anytime soon. The prospect of losing the contents of my stomach didn't sound too appealing at the moment.

I closed my eyes in the hope of staving off any puking episodes. I didn't feel like paying for the interior of Alice's car to be detailed.

Suddenly the car was at a standstill, and I opened my eyes furtively. We were at the hospital.

What. The. Fuck.

Alice was smiling slyly at me, and I realized too late that we were both wearing khaki pants and polo shirts.

She was bringing me to my first volunteer experience. Lucky me.

"First we're checking in with Uncle Carlisle and then we'll give you the actual grand tour of the hospital." She gave me a pointed look as she continued, "From what I've seen so far, you can't lie worth a crap, so this way, you can actually tell people that you're starting to volunteer now."

Then she winked at me.

Oh, no. The evil pixie lady with a wicked fashion sense winked at me. Something was afoot in Bella Land, and it was up to Peter Pan to lead the gang of Lost Boys to find out what Captain Alice was up to.

Oh, I definitely needed to visit the nut-wing while we were here.

We exited the car and went through the front doors of the hospital's main entrance. To my surprise, Dr. Cullen was waiting for us in one of the chairs in the waiting area.

"Excellent! It's good to see you lovely ladies. Alice. Bella." He nodded to each of us in turn as he said our names.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen." I mumbled nervously. For some reason I was embarrassed that he'd read my mind and found out that I had a huge thing for his son. I was secretly afraid that he had some doctor telepathy that would enable him to see that I'd envisioned his son naked on numerous occasions.

My cheeks burned as I watched Alice give the good doctor a warm hug.

"Uncle Carlisle, thank you so much for suggesting that apartment complex. Bella and I are becoming fast friends," Alice said sweetly.

Somewhere deep inside me I wanted to wring the sweetness out of her.

I smelled the delicious coffee before I saw it. My mouth started watering and I swear I nearly leaned into the aroma coming from my left. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I took a long whiff of the air around me, biting my bottom lip lightly to stop a lone moan from escaping me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was slightly abashed at how many pairs of eyes were on me because of my display.

The three pairs of eyes closest to me were the only ones that I cared about in that moment.

_Three?_

_Two sets of hazel eyes… check._

_And one pair of vibrant, forest green eyes. _

_Check._

_Oh, fuck._

Edward looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

_Oops, did I say that out loud?_

_Well, I'm in it for the long haul anyways with Alice, so I might as well let him see my less than sweet side while he could._

"Sorry, the coffee just smells amazing," I tried to cover up.

"You'll get addicted to the stuff here, I promise you. It keeps me going when I'm cramming for tests," Edward said as he passed the cup over to Dr. Cullen.

"Ah, thank you Edward. My system seems to be lacking some caffeine right now." He took a sip and closed his eyes in bliss before settling back into our conversation.

"Now Bella, we'll check out your ankle to see how you're progressing. Then these two will show you around the hospital and get you settled into the volunteer program. Sound good?"

I gulped and nodded my head, unsure as to whether or not he really needed an answer from me.

The check-up went smoothly. Instead of checking out the damage at the ER, we went into the urgent care building. It was a separate building apart from the rest of the hospital that served as a place for lesser ailments to come in to be checked out. Edward and Alice waited outside as Dr. Cullen and I talked briefly about my new allowances with my ankle. I was now allowed to walk normally and to start putting some more weight on it. I couldn't go back to full duty at work yet, but with the way I was healing, I would be able to return within another few weeks.

Once I had the necessary paperwork from Dr. Cullen, I met up with Edward and Alice, and we began the five cent tour. They showed me the basic layout of the urgent care building, which consisted mostly of a waiting room and a handful of exam rooms. We then ventured into the main hospital again, and I was bombarded with paperwork to fill out about volunteering.

I suppose they wanted to make sure I wasn't a lunatic or something. Edward picked up his badge while Alice and I were given temporary ones. She explained that she wouldn't be here with us all the time but that she'd accompany us every once in a while. It'd give her a break from school.

We first visited the Pediatrics Ward and Edward introduced me to all of the little kids and nurses there. Basically, he read to the younger ones, or played video games with some of the older kids. He'd help some of the nurses occupy the kids who had to be constantly poked and prodded, easing them into their treatments. He didn't change bedpans, he didn't change sheets, and he didn't have to be there if he didn't want to. But he did, and hearing how much the nurses valued him there made my heart swell.

Edward showed us the bathrooms and the little hang-out spot that we could chill out in whenever we needed a break. Then he took us to the elderly people he visited. He'd sit there with some of the people for hours just listening to them recall stories of their youth, or of WWII. He played chess with some of them, read to others, and even played the keyboard if he had a recital he had to practice for.

I marveled at the young man before me, able to be in school and take care of other people at the same time. He was so sweet and generous and giving, it made my heart hurt. I couldn't have him and some beach-blonde, high-society wench could?

_That's unfair Bella, maybe she works at the hospital too? Or maybe she gives to charities or something. You don't even know her, and you're making her out to be some wicked arch-nemesis._

I sighed heavily and Alice took that to mean that I was tired. Truth was, I'd been berating myself for not doing anything to help those in need. All of this time and I'd been so self-conceited to never think about helping out the less fortunate. Maybe I could start feeding the homeless or working at a half-way house. I had to start doing something, and now I was fully invested in volunteering at the hospital. My mind was made up and nothing anyone could say would change my decision about it.

Granted, I hadn't received the grand tour of the entire hospital, but I was pretty sure that I only needed to know the exits and where the pediatric and geriatric wards were located. Edward told me the other volunteers picked other, more exciting wards over those two frequently, citing boredom and inability to make connections with the patients. I'd stay wherever he was any day, boredom be damned. As the three of us were walking out towards the main entrance, Jessica and Angela were coming in.

"Alice! Bella! What are you two doing here? And I thought I said I didn't want to see you again, Bella?" Angela said in mock-seriousness as she gave Alice a hug.

I laughed, "Well Angela, you're going to be seeing a lot more of me. I'm volunteering."

"Seriously? That is so cool! Isn't it Jess?" Angela beamed in excitement.

"Yeah, that's really cool. Were you showing her the ropes, Edward?" Jessica asked.

"Kind of, we were just about to leave actually. Alice kidnapped Bella once she got home from work so she needs to relax and get some sleep. I've dragged her along the hallways for too long," Edward explained kindly.

A lone shiver that I couldn't control ran down my spine as he said my name.

_Oh, shit. What time was it? It was already dark? We must have been here longer than I thought._

I looked at my wristwatch. It _had_ been a few hours since the last time I checked it while in the exam room with Dr. Cullen.

"Well, we'll let you guys get going then. I hope to see you around Bella. Alice, don't be too much of a stranger. You know how I miss seeing your face," Angela said as she and Jessica started walking away.

"Oh! I'm throwing a housewarming slash birthday party for Bella next Friday. You're both welcome to come! Don't forget to bring Ben and Mike. I'll text you the directions to my new place later tonight. It's at seven, so don't forget!" Alice yelled back to them as Edward and I started walking towards the front doors.

I groaned. She was going to make this into some kind of extravagant event that I didn't want happening. I hoped to god that she didn't buy me a birthday present.

"Oh lighten up, Bella. It won't be as bad as you expect," Alice said as she slung an arm around my shoulder.

I cocked an eyebrow, causing her to giggle.

Edward escorted us to Alice's car and I was relieved when he said that he wouldn't be following us home. After the other night's debacle I didn't want the both of us near any soft, cushy surfaces. Lord knows what I'd do to him.

There had been a charge in the air around us all evening, but it wasn't the same sexual charge that I'd been feeling before. It was something different, something more. A warm buzz in the background of my swelling heart. I knew I already had some kind of feelings for him; I had just chalked them up to a case of severe lust. But now I was seeing a different side of Edward Cullen, and it was making me have stronger feelings, which I couldn't exactly place. I shrugged it off as Edward opened the door for me and ushered me into the seat.

The door slammed and I rolled down the window. "I hope you had a pleasant time tonight, though I'm pretty sure I'll have to show you around a few more times before you get the layout memorized," he said through the gap.

"I'm pretty sure you'll have to do it too, I'm really bad with directions," I replied.

"Alice, drive home safely, and call me when you get there. I know your driving skills," he said in a serious voice.

"Oh, Edward, you know me! I'll take good care of her, I promise," Alice responded playfully.

I threw a fearful expression out the window at Edward as Alice sped away from him and the hospital.

The drive home was quiet, thank goodness. I had a lot to digest, not to mention some actual food that needed to be ingested by my stomach. It'd been more than seven hours since I had last eaten anything.

I sighed as Alice and I reached the top of the stairs.

"Thanks for kidnapping me today, Alice. I had a fun time."

"It's not a problem. Like I said, I just want you to be happy about the things that you do with your life. Right now it looks like you're glowing. Before, it seemed like you were, well, dead."

"It's my job, Alice. I've been there for so fucking long that I don't know what to do with myself anymore. You're right, I need to change some things in my life. I just don't know how to do it. I guess tonight, when I saw Edward with all of those patients, I saw something that I wanted. The look on his face, it was…" I trailed off, unwilling to tell her that I thought him beautiful.

"I know exactly what you mean. We'll find you another job, something that'll make you happy, and I swear, Bella, you'll start living again. I'm not requesting that you come to my party now, I'm demanding it. I think meeting some more of our friends will get you to loosen up a little too. I know I'm being pushy, but it's because I can sense that there's so much _more_ available to you. You just don't see it."

I had tears in my eyes. I couldn't help it. Alice had just told me that she was going to help me feel, well, less like a failure and more like someone who mattered. It wasn't that I needed people telling me all the time that I was fan-fucking-tastic, but that I needed _someone_ to tell me that I belonged _somewhere_, that I had done a wonderful job, that I was needed. I needed someone to validate me. Alice was already starting to do that, though it might take a _while_ for me to believe her.

You never know what you need until someone goes out of their way to do it for you.

She continued, "I'll be picking you up for a shopping trip within the next couple of days, so be ready to try on a lot of dresses. Give me your number so I can call you and tell you when to be ready. Trust me, Bella. I'm only here to help you."

I wrote down my number on a scratch piece of paper for her. Then she pulled me into a hug and spun me around to face my door. We headed into our respective apartments, pausing to say goodnight before closing our doors.

Alice was going to be the death of me.

But she was also going to bring me back to life.

XOXOXOXO

As promised, Alice had called me later in the week. Precisely an hour after we'd gone our separate ways, the phone had rung and Alice was on the other end.

She had done some figuring and decided that the sooner we went out, the better. I told her my next day off, Tuesday, and she blacked it out for me. "Nothing would get in the way of this outing," she told me in a serious voice.

_Okie dokie, first rule of being Alice's friend: don't get in the way of shopping. Got it._

The days passed quickly until the outing; in which, Alice forced me into every kind of dress she could get her tiny little hands on.

I spent grueling hours shimmying, tugging, pulling, and sucking-it-in just to make her happy. And in the end, we came out with a nice compromise. She didn't kill me by forcing me into an outfit where I couldn't breathe, and I tried my hand at wearing a pair of kitten heels.

The short-sleeved dress was light mint green and had a square neckline that showed off my collarbones very nicely. A thick ribbon of fabric ran right under the area where my breasts ended and tied in the back. The length of the dress stopped right above my knees. I had to admit, I felt kind of pretty.

Alice had decided that a pair of cream-colored, inch-high heels would go best with the outfit. They had a rounded toe and an elastic piece of fabric that wrapped around the back of my foot to secure the shoe on safely. I told her that as long as I wasn't in anything taller than my pinky finger, I wouldn't kill her.

At some point she'd sent me off to find a pair of panty-hose, and when I went back to find her, she'd paid for the entire outfit.

_Damn woman._

I thanked her profusely, of course, to which she replied that I'd better get used to it and that money wasn't anything between best friends.

I made it up to her by buying us some delicious coffee.

I couldn't bring up Edward's engagement to Tanya without cluing Alice into my obvious poking around. I didn't need her to think that I was some kind of gossip hound. Until she or Edward brought it up, "mum" was the word. Somehow it was the only thing that I could think about as we sat at the coffee shop sipping our iced mochas.

"So what classes are you taking this semester, Alice?" I asked, praying to Valentino that I sounded interested. If she talked about a class called "Introduction to Polka Dots" it would get my mind off of anything Edward related.

"Oh, I'm taking a few related to my major, of course. Design and Imagery in Contemporary Fashion, History of Design, and Concept Art are the basic ones. Then I have a math course and English and things of that nature."

I cocked my head to the side. Who knew that there were such courses that existed? Not me, for one.

"That sounds like a lot of work, Alice."

"Yeah, well, it's mostly just stuff I need to take for my degree. I'm half-way done, two more years and I can start my own line," she said excitedly.

"That's fantastic, Alice! I'm really happy for you," I said before I took another sip of my coffee.

"Yeah, I didn't always know that I wanted to be in fashion, though. At first the idea of being a dog groomer had its merits, but I didn't want to smell like dogs all the time. What about you, Bella? What do you want to be?"

"I… I guess…Alice, I don't know."

No one besides my parents had ever really asked me that question before. It pained me to think of my life so far as a failure, but the truth of the matter was that I hadn't given a rat's ass as to what I'd do for the rest of my life. Did I not care? No, I definitely cared. Did it matter? Yes and no. I suppose that I always thought it would come find me at some point. One day I'd magically wake up and know exactly what I wanted to do, who I wanted to help, how I wanted to live. It hurt my heart to think that, though I was young, I might never find out what I truly wanted to do.

I loved books, but would they share my life's story or be untouched like so many others I had seen before?

I loved the water, but would it float me along my life's path or drown me in ineptitude?

My brain was starting to hurt, and it must have shown on my face because Alice started gathering her things so we could walk back to her car in silence.

Sitting there with Alice wasn't awkward, as we both said nothing. It was calm and thoughtful. There were so many things that I thought I could be good at, but to pick just one thing out of a plethora of so many had my head spinning. I knew I didn't have to make a choice right then and there, that I had time to think.

But I'd had time before and I'd squandered it, used it up like it was just a ratty old play thing and tossed it out with yesterday's garbage.

Well, no more.

I couldn't take it. I'd wasted so much time just sitting there, greeting people as they entered a store, which I liked but didn't love, didn't own, couldn't call my own.

I had to get out of there before my soul discovered another existence that wasn't reality and rid my being of it.

I couldn't be the drooling, self-loathing person that I'd seen in other stores, in other positions, before.

Somehow, in the span of a car ride with Alice, I had decided my fate. I had decided I wouldn't be at Fuego much longer and that I would be pursuing any and all ventures into my own personal happiness, my own euphoria.

I'd hit the Yellow Pages that night and thought about every opportunity that I'd had to my name, every chance to be something else.

All I needed was another chance.

I wasn't going to fuck it up again.

XOXOXOXO

The next week and a half passed in a blur and before I knew it, Alice's housewarming slash birthday party for me was the next night. On the brief times that I'd seen her, she'd been lugging up some huge framed picture, or hauling in a few more boxes of her things. I'd offered to help, hoping and praying to god that she'd say no, and when she refused I did an internal dance. I was still worn out from helping her move the first time.

I had made no personal headway since the last time I'd seen her. The phone book hadn't given me any clues for a suitable career change. Nothing sounded remotely appealing to me. I'd have to talk with Charlie and get some advice after Alice's party was over.

Though the party was at seven o'clock tomorrow night, Alice was banging on my door at eight thirty tonight. She had a mischievous look on her face and I instantly felt weary.

"Alice, what are you going to do to me?"

"Oh Bella, dear, I'm not going to do anything _to_ you. I'm doing it _for_ you. You will look simply gorgeous tomorrow night, and we only have the time right now to get some make-up tests done on you. You should look nice and fresh tomorrow."

"Alice, I don't really wear makeup. Usually, I just put on some lip balm and call it good." The cosmetics scared me a little. Just like I had no fashion sense, I didn't know what colors coordinated best when it came to the application of said products. And, like clothing, I never really cared too much for it.

Renee, my mother, had tried her best to teach me some things, but often times she went out looking like a toned-down version of a clown. Let's just say that I didn't really pay that much attention to her.

"Honestly, sweetie, you don't need it. But we're going to dazzle you up tomorrow night and I want to see what colors go better with each other." She made her way into my apartment as I ushered her in.

I wish I could say that the entire evening was fun, was something I would gladly repeat. But no, it wasn't fun at all. And if Alice tried to do this to me again, she'd have to put up with a fussy, two-year-old version of me.

I don't recall how long we'd been in my bathroom, but it must have been the longest time I've ever spent in there. Alice tested strips of my hair to see which kind of effect she wanted, curled or flat-ironed. She debated about which color eye-shadow to put on me, greens or gold tones. Deciding that pink would wash me out too much, she found a dark crimson lipstick.

As I caught my reflection in the mirror, I could have sworn that I was someone else. Half of my hair was pulled back, coming together smoothly with a clip. While more defined curls were mingled throughout, some of them framed my face. My eyes popped, dark lashes framing them to give me a doe-eyed look. My lips sparkled darkly, making my teeth shine even brighter. And the natural blush on my cheeks made everything come together.

I was amazed.

"Where the hell did Bella go, and what have you done with her?" Alice asked beside me.

I blinked. "Alice, honey, I should be asking you that." I took a breath. "Whoa."

The gleaming smile back from Alice was all the reply I needed from her, but her words made me feel even better.

"I didn't do anything. Everything you see before you now, well, it's been there all along."

My teeth shinning back at me in the mirror almost blinded me.

"I know what we're going to do tomorrow, so if you want, we can call it a night." Alice offered when I hadn't said anything.

"Sure, sounds good." I caught her arm as she started packing away her things and looked her in the eyes. "And thanks, Alice. It means a lot to me."

"It's your birthday, one day that's supposed to be all about you. I'm just making sure you look your best tomorrow, that's all. You deserve it."

I blushed at her words and lowered my gaze.

"I'll just leave what we'll be using tomorrow, lessen my load, you know? And I'll come over around five-ish. The party starts at seven so that should be plenty of time for us to get you all dressed up, and still have time to get everything fixed over at my place."

"So, uh…" I hesitated, not wanting to be too obvious. "Wh-who's all going to b-be there? A-at your par-party, I mean."

Her eyes glinted dangerously for a second before she answered, "Everyone, pretty much. The gang will be there, plus Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme. Plus some people from school and the hospital will show up too."

I nodded my head to show my understanding, and the butterflies in my stomach returned as I thought about tomorrow night. There would be a fair amount of people showing up, but at least I'd know a few of them already. That fact calmed me down a little bit, though as soon as I thought of _the gang_, my butterflies hit me harder than usual.

_The gang_ included Edward, which meant that he would be at the party.

_Will he bring his fiancé? Will she be showing off her engagement ring?_

_I wonder what it feels like…_

_Oh no, wake-up! Alice is saying something. Must remember rule number one: No daydreaming in front of Alice!_

I snapped my eyes shut and then open them quickly again to dispel my internal ramblings. If I kept this shit up, she'd figure me out in a heartbeat. She'd packed the last of her things into her bag while I walked her to the front door.

"So I'll just see you tomorrow at five, okay?" She asked while giggling on the doorstep of her apartment.

"Yeah, five sounds good. Good night." I waved to her gently and watched her walk into her own apartment before softly closing the door to mine.

Washing my face in the sink a moment later, I wondered if I was doing the right thing by going to Alice's party. What if I made a complete and utter fool of myself? I don't think I'd ever be able to live it down, especially with Alice living right across from my apartment.

My thoughts continued as I got ready for bed and finally drifted off to sleep, embarrassment the only thought on my mind.

XOXOXOXO

Dreams eluded me that night, with exhaustion taking over my body. Though after I woke up, fear and excitement clouded my head making me wish there had been some kind of freaky dream to take my mind off the day's events.

I had to work until four; otherwise, I would have driven myself crazy with my errant thoughts. The day passed like normal, everything I did was either for a customer or for my bosses. I don't know how it had happened, but Galen wasn't working. Thank the lord.

I hadn't told anyone at work that my birthday was coming up; honestly it didn't occur to me to tell them. I relished in the fact that no one else knew besides my family and Alice. By the time four o'clock rolled around, I'd almost completely forgotten that it was my actual birthday. Lucky me.

I drove home slowly, the more time away from Alice and her magic hands of beautiful death the better. For the first time I could ever recall, I purposely tried to catch all of the red stop lights.

Unlocking my apartment door and turning off the alarm, I threw my things down on the side table and exhaled a deep breath. Ever since I'd gotten in the truck, I'd been fighting with myself to keep my energy level in check. I felt like I was practically vibrating in my seat. If I didn't calm myself down any time soon, I would end up in the hospital again for hyperventilating.

Calling Charlie and my mother were the first things I did after listening to my messages. They both asked me the standard questions: _What are you doing tonight? Are you going out with friends? What about boys, are you going out on a date?_ Okay, really most of the more personal questions were from my mom, Charlie always was the silent and straightforward one. He knew that I could take care of myself, though he still worried. The main point he made was that I should have fun and be safe. It was me, I reminded him, the girl who tripped over thin air.

The second was taking a semi-quick shower to properly primp myself for Alice's visit. She told me that I needed to have clean, wet hair for her plans to work out successfully. I did the necessary things, brushed my teeth, washed my hair, scrubbed my face, and shaved my armpits and legs. The pixie was forcing me into a dress for God's sake, I wasn't about to look like Sasquatch in it.

The third thing I did, albeit grudgingly, was to make a quick call to Jake. He'd also left a message and I wasn't going to be rude and ignore him completely. He did wish me a happy birthday after all. I got his voicemail and left him a message thanking him. Ever since he'd stopped by my apartment for dinner, I'd had mixed feelings about what I exactly said to him each time we talked.

At exactly five o'clock, my front door was beaten down by my overly exuberant neighbor. She had left everything in my bathroom the night before, so the only things she brought over now were the things to do her own make-up and hair. Apparently, there were many things one could do with ultra short, spiky hair.

Alice spent a few minutes combing out my hair and then rolling sections of it into curlers. She said that it would make my hair look more bouncy or some kind of nonsense like that. I trusted her. I could count on one hand how many times I've actually tried to do my own hair for some kind of event and fucked up royally.

While I sat there with half of my head looking like a wilted cactus, I watched Alice do her own thing to her hair. She'd gone for a more sleeked back, but preppy look, parting her hair off to the side and embellishing it in some places with rhinestone pins. I thought it looked extremely cute and just like Alice. By this time, I was pretty sure that Alice could pull of any kind of personality: punker, rocker, preppy, laid-back. It all kind of depended on what type of mood she was trying to convey.

She arranged the make-up containers on the counter before turning back to me once again to finish my hair. Taking the top half of my hair in her hands, she brought the sides back away from my face and clipped them together with a barrette. Then she took a curling iron to the rest of it and gave me small, defined, loose ringlets, pulling out a few thin strips of hair around my ears and bangs to curl those as well. Cocooning me in my own gravitational field, she sprayed my head with what seemed like an entire can of hairspray.

Seriously, this girl might be the sole reason for the holes in the ozone layer.

The final step before I changed into my outfit was to do my make-up. Alice picked out the gold tones from the day before and set to work, framing my eyes in black eyeliner and using a darker brown to shade my outer eyelids. She wand-whipped my eyelashes in mascara and painted my lips blood red.

Hot damn, I looked good!

Alice smiled cheekily at me, my voice disappearing as I took in my reflection.

She shooed me out of the bathroom and told me to change into my dress and to come back when I was finished for an extra surprise.

I scowled at her.

"Alice, I don't like surprises," I flat out told her.

"But Bella honey, it's more like a birthday present. Honest, I know you'll love it."

I continued to scowl at her.

"I don't want any presents. Your personal party that you're sharing with me is more than enough. I don't want to seem like a selfish person, especially when I can't give you anything back." I finished lamely. I felt bad about my current financial situation. She was doing all of these really nice and special things for me, and I couldn't afford to do anything nice back for her. She deserved it.

"Bella, get changed. I'm not telling you again." She waved her hand in dismissal playfully and turned back to the mirror to complete her make-up.

I quickly ran to my room and changed in the far corner, I knew that Alice wouldn't peek in on me without permission, but I didn't want her to accidentally see me. I was still self conscious of my body around others. I was just shy about it.

Meeting Alice back in the bathroom a few minutes later—sans shoes—I took in her appearance. She had gone for the preppy look and the light color around her eyes captivated my attention right away. She'd also changed, which completely surprised me because I didn't even realize that she'd brought over her dress. It was light silver and short, coming down to her fingertips. The collar was a sweetheart design, showing some, but not too much, cleavage. It was spaghetti strapped and hugged all of her curves perfectly; nothing seemed a hair out of place.

"Now, here is your present from me. Shut up and just take it," she said while extending her arms out to give me a small, square package.

I ripped the wrapping paper off of the box and quickly set to work on tearing open the box. Yes, I hated getting presents, but no, I loved opening them.

Inside was a gold sequined belt. Odd, what was I going to do with an inch thick, gold sequined belt?

"You, dear one, are going to wear it over the crappy tie that they deemed appropriate for your dress. It'll definitely give you more curves, as well as liven up your tones."

She danced around me quickly and put the belt on me before I could protest. Then I saw myself in the mirror and damned her in my head.

_Damn that fucking lady and her fashion talented brain for knowing that it'd look fabulous!_

"It's about time for people to start showing up. Jasper and the rest of the gang should have everything set up, but I need to head back to make sure. Why don't you head over in ten minutes, just knock, okay?" She said rapidly as she started heading for my front door.

I followed quickly behind her, escorting her to the door like I always did. _I had manners for Pete's sake!_

Surprisingly, I could hear the dull thumps of music being played, though I could tell that it wasn't loud enough to be much of a problem for the neighbors.

I watched her enter her apartment, and then I glumly sat down on my couch, somehow passing the time by counting Mississippis in my head until I reached what felt like a million.

Double checking the time, I made sure that it had been ten minutes since I'd last taken a look at the clock. I could now safely head over to Alice's.

I stood shakily, slipping my heels on at the door and taking a calm, relaxing breath before I opened it. Setting my resolve, I armed the alarm, locked the door behind me and slipped the emergency key underneath the welcome doormat.

Three steps was all it took to get me to Alice's. It felt like a fucking eternity.

Taking another deep, soothing breath, I knocked three times and awaited my fate.

_Oh God, oh God, oh God! Don't let Edward answer the door, don't let Edward answer the door, don't let Edward answer the door! _I prayed as I looked at the ground in nervousness.

As I heard the door open, I looked up and was met with the most perfect pair of emerald green eyes known to walk the face of this earth.

My breath left me in a sudden gust, and I felt as though my knees were going to give out suddenly.

"Hello, Edward."

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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	7. In Which We Meet The Devil

Chapter 7: In Which We Meet the Devil (She Has Sparkly Shoes)

XOXOXOXO

Great googily moogily, did he have to look so fuck-tastic?

My jaw may have dropped open and incidentally I might have been drooling on myself but at that moment I didn't give a flying fart in space.

He was dressed to the nines in a black suit with a dark green shirt underneath. The jacket of his suit was open, giving off a casual, yet respectable, feel to him. The evergreen color of the shirt made his eyes shine brightly. I was getting lost in them and it took me a moment to gather all of my thoughts.

I snapped my jaw closed, and blushed fiercely while he stepped to the side to let me into Alice's apartment.

"You look wonderful, Bella. Happy birthday," he murmured as I passed him.

I giggled like a deranged psychopath and shyly gave him my thanks in return.

_I really should be sent to the nearest mental institution, perhaps they take deposits on the nicer rooms._

I was correct in my musings earlier. Alice had her stereo system turned up pretty loud and I could feel the pounding beat of the bass through my feet as I made my way into her apartment. I couldn't place the singer, but the melody and tone was smooth and relaxed with emphasized drum beats.

Edward closed the door behind us and silently followed after me, a calm hand on my lower back much like it had been the day Alice had moved in. Warmth radiated from his touch and instantly I felt soothed, my nerves taking the backseat position in my mind as thoughts of Edward took their place. I crossed my hands in front of my abdomen, unsure of what to do with them. I couldn't very well just swing them back and forth blindly, for all I knew I could've hit Edward in his package. That would also be known as a taboo thing to do with someone you've just met and have had dirty, naughty dreams about.

Big no-no.

There were quite a few people in the apartment already. I recognized Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, as well as Angela from the hospital. As we passed each of them I smiled and said polite hellos, eager to find Alice and follow her lead for the night. In all actuality, I'd never been to a real grown-up party. Aside from playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, I didn't know what the hell to do. Somehow I don't think Spin the Bottle would have worked either.

I allowed Edward to guide me into the kitchen where Alice was whirling about, setting up trays of food.

She'd transformed herself into Mrs. Homemaker in the short time that she'd left my apartment. Her hair was smoothed down with little jewel clips sprinkled on top of her head. She was wearing a white shirt-dress with a hot pink belt. For kicks, she'd popped the collar up. It was a modern look for an outdated piece of fabric. She'd tied it all together with a pair of hot pink pumps. I didn't know how she'd last the entire party in those deathtraps.

"Great Edward, can you and Bella help me get this stuff out onto the table? I want to be able to mingle as soon as possible," she said while placing a container of napkins and cutlery into my hands.

"Sure Alice, we'll help you out. You go ahead and meet up with Jasper, Bella and I've got this." He nodded to her as he walked out from behind me and further into the kitchen.

Alice gave me a grateful smile and dashed out of the room.

I turned around, went into the dining room and set the container down. Moments later I joined Edward back inside the kitchen where he had resumed plating Alice's party trays.

"Are you good with dicing things or should I not even ask?" Edward asked me with my favorite crooked grin in place.

If I hadn't known that he was teasing me, I would've taken offense to the question. I shoved him in the shoulder as I made my way past him to the other side of the counter. The sink separated us as we worked in comfortable silence.

Since I'd helped unpack Alice's kitchen I knew exactly where everything was, finding a clean knife was no problem. I set to work slicing up a block of sharp cheddar cheese into cubes.

"So how've you been? I feel like it's been forever since we last saw each other," he asked from his station of arranging cold cuts.

I snorted. Really, what had I been up to? Uh, let's see; I lived across the hall from an eccentric shopaholic midget, who has just recently decided that I need to make over my entire life. Said midget, along with the fuckhot piece of man meat that is yourself, has also signed me up to become a volunteer at the hospital where your fine ass father works. Not to mention that I'm still trying to pay my rent and not screw up my entire life by bitching out my completely narcissistic, overly feminine male assistant manager. Sum my life up for the past week and a half? Yeah, mission accomplished. Now, how do I say that politely?

I giggled at my internal ramblings. "Uh, yeah, I've been fine. Work's alright, I mean, that's pretty much all I do so…"

_Wow, great conversation, Bella. You'll be sure to win over everyone here tonight._

I cleared my throat and asked, "How have you been, Edward?"

_Yes! You can ask a simple question and not muck it up, score one for me!_

I chanced a quick look at him and blushed when I caught him looking back at me.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed. Apparently, I wasn't to be trusted with knives. In the mere second that I'd glanced at Edward, I'd brought the knife down and sliced my finger.

The knife clattered to the counter from my grasp as I clutched at the cut. I squeezed my eyes closed and grimaced.

"Are you okay Bella? Here, let me take a look," Edward said as his hands took mine. I felt his fingers pry open mine to take a better look at the cut.

I would've loved to see him tending to me, but I was afraid that if I saw any blood I'd pass out and end up on the floor, which would've embarrassed me far too much. I clenched my eyes tightly and took breaths through my mouth.

"It doesn't look too deep, though you'll want to put a band-aid on it to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything. Once my dad gets here, he can take a look at it." I felt his cool breath on my face.

"Bella, are you sure that you're okay? You haven't opened your eyes once," Edward said, sounding concerned.

I felt the back of his hand on my forehead, my skin ignited with heat from the contact. Unconsciously I leaned into his touch.

He flipped his hand around so that instead of the back being on my skin, his palm was touching my face. Cupping my cheek gently, his thumb caressed the apple of it sensually. His other hand still held my finger that had the cut on it.

"I'm fine. I just can't look at blood, or smell it, without getting light headed and fainty."

"Well, let me find that band-aid for you and we'll get you sorted out. Don't open your eyes, I don't want to come back and find you sprawled out on the floor."

I heard the smirk in his voice and I nodded minutely.

Feeling him disappear from in front of me, I suddenly felt completely naked. All the warmth had disappeared from my body and it took all I had to not start shivering. That would be one hell of a thing to explain. _No, I'm not cold. I just wanted to start a new personal hobby. Yeah, it's a sport called spontaneous vibration. It's really fun, you should try it._

With my sense of sight gone for the moment, all of my other senses went into overdrive. I felt the cool air swirl around me from the air conditioner. I smelled the food that was still placed in front of me. I heard the people out in the living room, talking and jabbering over the thud of the music. I tasted copper. It was as if I'd stuck my cut finger in my mouth and had tried to suck the blood out of the wound. _Great, I was becoming a vampire._

I snorted and shook my head, trying to clear all thoughts of blood out of it. Dwelling on something that would leave me incapacitated wouldn't do me any good.

It had only been a minute, but by the time Edward got back to me, I felt as though an hour had passed. I felt him in front of me before he had even said anything, my body going back to the electric charge again as it always did when we were around each other. My mind was in chaos, a simple human being should not be able to make my body react like this. But my heart craved more contact.

"Here, Bella. Give me your hand and I'll get you cleaned up," he said as I felt his gentle fingertips on my injured hand.

I relinquished control of the appendage, knowing outright that I'd be stupid to take an interest in my self pride at the moment.

Taking a small chance, I opened my eyes. I gazed straight ahead and onto the face of an angel. His head was bent down, eyes focused and lips pursed in concentration as he put antiseptic ointment onto my cut. The florescent lights gave his copper colored hair gold highlights and in that moment he looked like he had a halo.

He tenderly took my finger and wrapped a band-aid around it, caressing the sticky flaps down into position.

_I wonder if his fingers are more talented than I thought..._

_Wrong train of thought, Bella! Snap out of it before he realizes that you're molesting him with your eyes!_

Quickly, I took in a deep breath and was filled with the scent of his cologne. _What the fuck is that? Is my mouth watering? Holy fuck! Sandalwood, what is that… chocolate? And there was something else, something completely just…Edward._

_Not. Cool._

He looked up at my deep breath, taking it for a sign of distress and gazed worriedly into my eyes.

Green eyes met brown ones and a forest of impossibility grew. His pupils were dilated and I watched with open fascination as his breathing sped up the longer we stayed locked into each other. I was pretty sure that I would end up breathing into a paper bag from all of the hyperventilating I was doing.

"Ya'll ain't done in here yet?" Jasper asked as he walked into the kitchen. He looked dashing in a pair of black slacks and a light blue button up shirt.

That broke the invisible spell that Edward and I were both under and each of us took a step back. He dropped my hand and I attempted to smooth out my dress for God knows what reason.

"I cut myself. Edward was just bandaging me up." I turned back towards Edward and gave him a quick smile.

"You two go on out and I'll finish up in here. There's not much left to do," I continued as I picked up the knife again and put it gently into the sink.

Truth was that I needed a moment to collect myself before I went into the crowd. At most I greet everyone with flushed cheeks and rapid, shallow breathing. Aroused was generally not the first impression you make to anyone.

Jasper clapped Edward on the back and faced him away from me. "Okay, little darlin'. Just you make sure to not hurt yourself anymore, ya hear?"

I chuckled at Jasper's accent, still not used to hearing it, and grabbed a fresh knife out of the drawer. I vaguely registered them leaving the area while I tried to calm my raging hormones.

Setting myself back to work, I focused solely on the knife and its destination: not Bella's fingers.

After a few moments of silence, I was finally done cutting up the block of cheese. I arranged it all neatly onto an empty platter and washed my hands.

I smoothed my hair down and took a few deep breaths, trying to slow my rapid heart rate down. Picking up the platter, I made my way into the dinning room and placed it on the table. Might as well get a drink while I'm here, that way if I don't have anything to say I can just take sips from my cup.

Alice had thoughtfully set up a punch station with the food. I grabbed a cup and filled it with the closest red liquid, then set out into the living room to find where the meddling pixie had run off to.

I passed slowly through the party, trying my hardest to look like I fit in there. I ran in to Emmett and Rosalie first. She was sitting on the arm of the loveseat in a red halter dress that came down to her knees. Emmett was standing next to her with his hand on her upper back. They were talking with Angela and another man I didn't know.

"Hey guys." I knew it was lame, but what else could I come up with?

"Pella Bella!" Emmett boomed.

Rosalie and I looked at him in mock annoyance, each of us with an eyebrow arched.

"What?! I'm working on it, okay?" he replied to our looks. He bent over my small frame and gave me a one-armed hug, his hand never leaving Rosalie.

After I returned his embrace, I turned to Angela on the couch.

Her eyes twinkled as she assessed me. "You look wonderful, Bella!" She stood up and gave me a quick squeeze, then gestured to the man sitting next to her. "This is Ben, my boyfriend. Ben, this is Bella. She's volunteering at the hospital with Edward."

I shook Ben's hand and calculated their pairing. Evenly matched in skin-tone, they were dressed similarly. Angela had on a light purple tank-top and a black, flowy skirt that came up to her mid calf. Ben was dressed in a pair of black trousers with a white shirt and purple vest on. He looked very sophisticated with his black glasses on, almost like a scholar.

"It's really nice to meet you, Ben."

"You too, Bella," he replied as our hands dropped.

"As far as I know, Jessica and Mike are on their way," Angela said while placing a hand on Ben's shoulder. She turned to me and continued, "Mike is Jessica's boyfriend. They have been together for a few months now."

I nodded in understanding, not really caring, but okay with the information. "So how long have you two been together?"

Angela bit her lip shyly and looked over at Ben, who was about six inches shorter than she was.

"One year, three months, and eighteen days," he replied swiftly. Angela's face lit up into a wide grin and the two of them looked at each other in a way that made me feel uncomfortable for being there.

"Nice one, cheese-master!" Emmett announced from behind Angela.

"Hey, just because you're not romantic doesn't mean that girls don't like being treated as such every so often, you big lunk head." Rosalie spoke up from her perch on the couch arm. She then proceeded to smack him upside the head and we all couldn't help the laughter that spilled from our mouths.

"Enough with the romanticisms, I'm stealing Bella away before you all make her feel more self-conscious than she already is," Alice said as she came up behind me. She slipped her arm into one of mine, dragging me away quickly before anyone else could object.

"Now, I want to give you fair warning, Bella. There will be some people here that you won't get along with. That's completely fine, I don't get along with them too well either."

"Then why'd you invite them?" _It doesn't make sense to invite people to a party that you don't want them at._

"Well, to get everyone I did want to come here, I had to open the invite to their friends, or significant others, as well."

"So, you're a people pleaser." I looked over at her just in time to see a small grimace on her face.

"To an extent; I do want everyone to be happy. You're not a good hostess if one of your guests isn't having a good time. But if someone pisses me off, you'd better believe it'll be on like Donkey Kong."

I giggled at Alice's words, surprised at her vocabulary choice. I didn't think anyone used that phrase anymore.

By this point, Alice's dragging had put us in the region of the party where the music was louder. People were either swaying lightly on the spot with their partners or off to the side standing still and trying to have conversations. I spotted Jasper and Edward near a crowd of people by the door, talking to each other avidly.

As Alice and I got closer, I noticed that Jessica and, who I assumed was her boyfriend, Mike had finally arrived. Beside them, holding on to Edward's arm like she might die if she didn't, was the statuesque, strawberry blonde, homecoming queen, Tanya. Now that I was actually close enough to see what she really looked like, I was stunned. She radiated gorgeousness in a silk, caramel colored dress that hugged her perfectly shaped curves. Her legs seemed to go on for forever, as the hemline of the dress ended mid-thigh and her gold heels seemed to be at least six-inches tall.

_Kill. Me. Now. _

_How many hours would I have to look at them being lovey-dovey and coupley with each other the entire night?_

My footsteps faltered for a second and my breaking heart shattered into millions of pieces. For the first time in a very long time, I prayed to God, begging them not to kiss in front of me. If they did I might run from the room crying.

"Tanya! I didn't even see you come in, what a surprise," Alice said dryly from beside me.

Obviously, this was one of the people she'd been talking about earlier. Though, it confused me. Tanya was Edward's fiancé; surely Alice would be alright with her presence at her house warming party?

Tanya turned towards us and smiled widely at Alice, completely ignoring me. _Hmm, my own damn party and I feel like chopped liver. Fantastic. Oh, no. I just referred to this as my party. Shit! Well, at any rate, I'm standing next to the hostess so I should at least get a hello, right?_

She cantered over to us. How a person can actually canter like a horse in the span of two feet beats me, but she did it. "Alice, darling! So great to see you! Your apartment looks okay. You really shouldn't have paid for an interior decorator though. They didn't do to well. You obviously didn't have too much space for them to work with," she said loftily.

_Oh. Hell. No. She did not just insult Alice's decorating job AND the same place that I live at! Honestly, what kind of person seriously talks like a prep-school PTA mom? I mean, really!_

Alice pursed her lips and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again slowly and responding, "I'd like to introduce you to my newest friend and neighbor, Bella Swan. Bella, this is Tanya Denali."

I held out my hand to shake hers but was instead met with a cold, disdainful look. I held fast and after a moment she reluctantly took my hand. Her grip was the lightest thing I'd ever had the misfortune to touch. I got some really bad vibes off of her.

"It's nice to meet you, Tanya," I said sweetly. She was not going to have me cowering away from her. No way, no how.

She released my hand and nodded at me, "Stella."

I started, "Actually, it's-"

"Now Alice, I hope you remembered that I can't eat any carbs and all the drinks should be sodium reduced. You're looking a little puffy honey, laying off the salt will do wonders. Be a dear and turn down that awful music, if you will. I'm getting a terrible migraine and you know how I can be when I'm not feeling well." Tanya mock pouted while bringing a hand up to her head.

Without another word, Tanya turned from us and cantered back to Edward, casually slipping her arm back through his.

The cup in my hand was shaking, my rage about to boil over. If I didn't do something fast to relieve my own tension, Tanya would end up in a ruined dress that smelled like my punch.

"Why, that woman! The nerve of- if she wasn't- if she didn't… Argh!" Alice growled under her breath.

I quickly dashed forward and grabbed Jasper by the elbow. Startling him, I whispered, "Jazz, Alice needs you STAT!"

He looked from me to Alice and reacted immediately. Edward's brow furrowed as Jasper left the conversation stating, "Sorry partner, m'lady is a'callin'."

Edward turned to me and all I could give him was a look that said, 'Well if your fiancé wasn't such a princess, then, ya know, this wouldn't be happening.'

I don't know if he understood it, but I'm pretty sure the look of alarm on his face said he did.

I walked calmly after Jasper and Alice's retreating figures. I knew Jasper could fix the situation, but honestly I didn't want to be stuck standing awkwardly near Tanya. For all I knew she'd attempt to make me give her a pedicure while she was talking with everyone.

I felt a hand reach out to grab my own, stopping me in my tracks. The magical zap that passed through me alerted me to Edward's presence.

"Bella, what happened? Is Alice okay?" He sounded particularly worried and I was afraid to turn around and see that panicked expression on his face once again.

I looked down into my cup and willed myself to breathe. I felt angry at him for picking such a shrew of a woman to marry, but I wasn't in the position to criticize him for it. No. He'd chosen someone who was, for lack of a better term, high maintenance. He'd have to figure out eventually that her demeanor would hurt people and that he'd have to find ways of fixing it. I settled for telling him the truth as I turned around and faced him.

"Tanya wasn't the friendliest person to Alice a moment ago. She was insulting, demeaning, and bossy. She can treat me like that because I don't give a rat's ass if she thinks squat of me; I know what I am. But for someone to ruin all of Alice's hard work in the span of two seconds just isn't cool. If she continues to be a problem for my friend, for someone I care for and who I would do anything for, I will gladly put a stop to it in the most direct way I know how. She will be thrown out of this party forcefully. Do you understand me?" I was breathing heavily, my emotions getting the better of me and I needed a moment to cool off.

I chanced a look at Edward, wondering if I'd scared him away in my attempt at being threatening. He was channeling some kind of emotion, though I couldn't tell which kind it was. His pupils were dilated; eyebrows arched, and mouth kind of popped open. It was a fifty-fifty choice between sick and astonished. I was hoping for the latter.

"Right now, I don't know if Alice is okay. I grabbed Jasper knowing that he'd help, but I need to go check on her myself. You have a decision to make here. You can either come with me to check up on your cousin, or you can go back to _her_. I won't wait."

My body was trembling, I needed to get out of his presence before I collapsed and he would end up feeling sorry for me.

Turning away from him in the moment was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But things needed to be done, so I walked into the hallway, the last direction I saw Jasper and Alice heading. Furtively glancing around the hallway, I decided to just walk into the bedroom with my eyes covered and knock on the closest wall. For all I knew, Jasper's calming influence came from giving Alice some oral pleasure. _Fuck, I do not want to think of my friends having sex…that's… not… kosher._

Closing my eyes tightly, I hesitantly felt my way through the hallway to the bedroom with my right arm outstretched. Once I felt the wall change, I smacked my available hand against the wall in the new room. It was soft and emitted an "oof". Okay, not a good sign when the walls made noises. I opened my eyes hesitantly, afraid of what I'd see, and grimaced. I'd just hit Jasper in the stomach.

"Oops! Jasper, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He was doubled over, a hand in the spot that I'd hit him, breathing deeply.

"Oh, nothin' to worry about, darlin'," he rasped out.

"Oh goodness, Bella! I'm sorry you had to witness my mini meltdown a few moments ago. You shouldn't have to see me when I get flustered like that," Alice said as she came out of the adjoining bathroom.

"Sweetheart, you're fine. Believe me, I'll bet that I'm completely worse when I get ran ragged. She was a total asshat. If she does anything else tonight, I am personally kicking her out. This party is for you, you don't deserve to have someone here who undermines all of your hard work."

Alice stared at me for a few seconds, not a single emotion on her face. I noticed that her face was a bit puffy and that her nose was red on the end. She'd been crying. My heart ached for her and I was going out to that party in a matter of moments to set Bitchface Tanya in her rightful place, under my heel.

Then, as if someone had flipped on a light switch, her mouth turned into a huge grin and she flung herself at me. Before I knew it, she'd wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and was hugging the stuffing out of me. I laughed at her antics and reciprocated by wrapping my arms around her waist, careful of the drink I still held onto.

"Er, sorry to intrude on this hug fest. I just wanted to come and check up on you, Alice," Edward said shyly from the doorframe.

I felt Alice's smile on my shoulder. _Good boy, Edward. _

Alice and I released each other after a quick squeeze. She took a step back and then ran into Edward's arms, again wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back briefly then let go and looked down at her. "I've just had a few words with Tanya. She won't be a problem at all for the rest of the night."

"Oh, thank you Edward. But you didn't have to. It's just that she gets so… so…urg! And then I get all polite because that's the way mom raised us and, well… you know, what I'm trying to say," Alice responded sadly.

"Well I was more afraid of Bella getting hurt. She's never seen Tanya when she's angry, and I honestly want to spare her that kind of thing." Edward shivered involuntarily at a memory.

"If y'all are done chit-chattin', you've still got guests out there, sweetums," Jasper spoke up from the wall.

I grabbed Alice's hand and walked past the two boys out into the party area. As far as everyone else was concerned, Alice had to go powder her nose. The event had been relatively minor and no one had their faces busted in.

"Ooh! There's Jessica and everyone else. Let's go introduce you, Bella," Alice squealed as she pulled me forward. Tanya had left the group and was nowhere to be seen at the moment. I felt freer than a bird.

"Jessica, I'm so happy to see you! Let me get the introductions out of the way real quick." Alice started pointing people out in the large circle we were standing in. "You already know Jessica, but this is her boyfriend, Mike. Next to him are Tyler, Eric, and Lauren. Everyone, this is Bella."

I waved at everyone. They seemed like a nice group of people, all of whom were around my age by the look of things. Jessica and Mike were also matching in their clothing choices. She had on a light yellow sundress while he was wearing a pair of dark-wash jeans and a yellow polo. They looked like happy, sunshiny people with their blonde hair and blue eyes.

Tyler had somehow coordinated with Ben, but was wearing a black vest instead of a purple one. His shoes stood out, they were so shiny. I thought that I might have to run home to fetch my sunglasses to ease the glare coming off of them. His hair was pulled back into short, tight cornrows.

Eric was the epitome of the chess dork. You could tell just by the way he wore his oxford sweater-vest. He was cute, adorable in a sad kind of puppy dog way. I just wanted to squeeze him until he found the right kind of clothing to wear. I was glad that he didn't have a pocket protector though, that would've blown me out of the water and I wouldn't have been able to talk to him at all for the rest of the night.

Lauren. She was basically Jessica but brunette and with an attitude problem towards me. That and the fact that her perfume smelled like it was from Hookerland. She'd somehow decided to go with the sluttier version of the dress-code for Alice's party. Her dress was neon blue and made out of some kind of plastic looking fabric. It had a plunging neckline that ended at her bellybutton, and the bottom of it ended high at her thighs. If she bent over, we'd see London, France and Tokyo. I personally thought she was going for the 80's version of a prostitute.

_Okay, rule one to staying alive at one of Alice's party's: Stay away from the hooker-smelling girl. A) She might be trying to lure you in with her god-awful smell and charge you more than you ever thought you'd pay for a lay, or 2) You'll get a headache and die, thus letting her have all of the available men in the room._

I stood silent for a few moments, letting them fill me in on how they all knew each other.

Jessica knew Alice from many hospital events that Dr. Cullen had been the center of. The Cullens were very family centered people, and it showed in every aspect of their lives.

Mike had been Jessica's date to one of the functions where Alice had attended and thus only knew her as an acquaintance.

Tyler had been at some function that Alice had thrown during her dorm days at the University. He had been commissioned to be the DJ and had done such a fabulous job that she always kept his number in her speed dial for any other occasions that should need proper DJ-ing.

Eric was Alice's science partner back in high school. She'd always thought of him as a friend and had treated him as such. He was an awkward, but funny person once you got past his shy, geeky demeanor.

Lauren was one of Jessica's friends, who so happened to be in one of Alice's fashion classes. Some of Alice's party notes had been sticking out of her binder and Lauren had given her some tips. I noticed later that not a single one of Lauren's pieces of advice had been used by Alice.

I quickly excused myself from the group, Eau de Slut was beginning to make me nauseous and I didn't feel like kicking the bucket tonight. Making my way over to the snack table, I decided to toss my drink out and start fresh. The cup had gotten room temperature and warm punch was just as bad as swallowing a cup full of cough syrup.

"So how are you fittin' in, darlin'?" Jasper snuck up behind me.

I was so startled that I almost dropped the cup I was refilling into the punch bowl.

"Jesus, Jasper! Don't just run up on someone without announcing yourself! You nearly made me fall onto the snack table!" I clutched at my rapidly beating heart for extra effect.

"Well, sorry Bella. I didn't mean to intrude on your silent moment."

I looked into his blue eyes and instantly felt guilty for making him feel bad.

"Oh, don't apologize, Jazz. It's been one hell of an evening so far; a lot to take in if you know what I mean."

He gazed into me and I felt like he was staring into my soul.

"I sure do. But I believe that you're doing very well under the circumstances if that helps you at all." His eyes were piercing mine and I bit back a grin. I felt the farthest away from doing well, but if he said I was then I was going to believe him.

"What d'you think of everyone?" he continued.

"Well, er, they're all pretty nice people. I don't like Tanya one bit though, she just has this…" I gestured wildly with my hands trying to find the right word.

"Ability to make everything about her and her precious rich-girl tendencies?" Jasper offered.

"Yes! That sounds about right," I nodded as I pointed a finger at him in dawning comprehension.

"Ah, talking about Tanya again, are we? What'd the banshee with fake tits do now?" Rosalie had come over to the table to talk with us.

"Oh, same ol' same ol'. You know how she can be. At least she didn't call her daddy this time to come and 'fix up' everything." He shook his head and leaned in to whisper, "Bottom line is she doesn't like Alice's decorating."

I gave Rose a quick look to let her know that there were other things behind what Tanya had said, looking at her and then drifting my eyes off to the side and pursing my lips.

"Hey, Jasper, could you do me a favor and grab my coat for me? It's black leather with a design of a dragon on the back. My arms are a little cold and I don't know where Emmett ran off to," Rosalie asked innocently.

It didn't matter that it was early September, nights in Washington often became very cold and if you didn't have a jacket you were fucked. Even if the day held fast at a hundred degrees, the night could very well chill you to the bone.

He gave a quick nod and disappeared. Something inside me said he wouldn't ever turn down a lady and a request. His southern gentlemanly ways could end up biting him in the ass one of these days.

"Bella, spill. What else happened?" Rose said quickly.

I took a deep breath and quickly told her of what had happened. When I finished, I wished that I hadn't breathed a word of it to Rosalie. I had pictured that she'd become indignant at her best friend being treated like trash and use a colorful string of vocabulary to let her issues out. Oops… my bad. She looked like she was ready to go off and slap a ho.

Her eyes narrowed, her painted red lips curled back into a sneer and I registered a nostril flare.

Oh yeah, big oops on my part.

Luckily, Emmett showed up at that moment.

"'Sup, ladies? Enjoying yourself, Bella?" he asked in a joking voice.

He registered the scowl on Rose's face and asked hurriedly, "What the hell happened?"

"Tanya," was all that she could say in reply.

How in the hell did I fuck up these situations? Now not one, but two people were ready to lay a smack down on the rich bitch who thought she owned the universe. One person was enough, the other could stop them from committing a murder, but with both people equally involved, there were no guarantees.

Emmett placed a hand on Rosalie's shoulder, "Babe, its okay. Edward's walking her out to her car right now. I saw him when I was getting the stuff."

_Wow, good way to diffuse the situation and be cryptic at the same time. Major props there, Emmy Bear._

"Good, I might've decided to throw our gift for Alice right at her face. I can't stand the harpy," Rose said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, you're talking about Tanya?" Angela said as she came up from behind me.

"You know her too?" I asked incredulously. _What, did everyone know the Wicked Witch of the West but me?_

"Of course. Her father is on the board of trustees, he gave her some lack-luster job where she just checks in on all of the staff. She makes sure to drop by every few days or so. You'll get to know her pretty well too; she pays extra special attention to the volunteers if you know what I mean." Angela gave me a knowing smile and grabbed a plate.

"Damn, I was hoping to never see her again," I said disappointedly.

"Well, at least you'll have Edward with you. She seems to be a lot tamer whenever he's around."

_If that was tame earlier, I don't want to be near her when she's not pulling punches. I guess I'll have to wait and see. He wasn't exactly paying attention while the "exchange" between Tanya and Alice was happening. _

"Do you know the next day you're coming back?" Angela asked hopefully.

"I-I don't know, actually. I haven't talked to Edward yet. I guess he's sort of my mentor for the first couple of visits. You know, until I can get my own feel for the place," I replied questioningly. _Shit, when was the next time I'd be going back?_

"Rose, darlin', I can't find your jacket anywhere." Jasper had come back looking sheepish.

"You know what, Jasper? Funny, I just remembered that I left it in Em's jeep. Besides, I've warmed up a bit now; I don't really need it anymore," Rose said with a smile on her face.

He looked relieved as he ran a hand through his golden locks. "We'll be giving Alice her presents in a few minutes, so get your food while ya still can."

Oh, that reminded me.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I said hurriedly.

I filled up my cup quickly with fresh punch and made my way towards the front door. I had found the perfect house warming gift for Alice while at work the other day, skull and cross bone shaped ice cube makers. Just fill up the little holes with some water and after they froze you had perfect Jolly Roger ice cubes. I wasn't sure if anyone else would be giving Alice a present, so I'd decided to leave it at my place until I felt comfortable enough giving it to her. It really depended on if others were giving her things as well.

I exited the apartment without anyone stopping me to ask where I was going. Reaching under the placemat, I grabbed the key and unlocked the door.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" Liquid velvet asked worriedly. _Edward, his name isn't liquid velvet, its Edward. Now get a grip!_

I turned quickly, my drink almost spilled over. He rushed forward to grab the cup and caught my hand.

Zap.

Sparks.

Electricity.

Warmth.

I gasped involuntarily. Only seconds before he'd been a safe, respectable distance away from me and now… Now he was right in front of me, smelling delectable and wearing that green shirt that made his eyes light up. Our chests were almost pressed together and I felt the overwhelming urge to pull him closer to me, to make my entire body hum. I felt my nether regions clench and I had to resist the need to rub my thighs together to create some sort of heavenly friction.

Tempting fate, I looked up into his face from under my lashes and was stunned at how close we were yet again. This beautiful, gorgeous man was standing thisclose to me, holding my hand around the cup and licking his lips.

Licking his lips? Oh bad, bad juju.

The soft, pink, wet appendage darted out from between his parted lips. It took it's torturously sweet time making the circuit from point A of one side of his bottom lip to point B of the other side.

I gulped loudly, my thoughts becoming a distant buzz in the background of my brain. My eyes wandered up towards his, wondering if I'd find the same kind of fire there that I'd seen previously on these very steps.

I wouldn't be disappointed. His eyes blazed a shade of green that I could only describe as emerald granite. Colors of black, steel and different versions of green ran rampant through my vision, clouding my judgment and making me pant with desire. I clenched my free hand around the key to my door, the metal grooves biting into my flesh but not damaging my skin.

"Bella…" he breathed. Moaned? Whined? Moaningly whined? How to describe the breathy way his voice spoke my name. It sent shivers down my spine and a fresh round of arousal to form between my legs. What was this man doing to me?

"Edward?" I replied back softly. He looked hesitant, searching my eyes for something. I felt his other hand wrap around my waist and a sigh escaped my lips at the contact. My hand with the key inside of it moved of its own accord and wrapped around his bicep.

He moved closer to me, our chests connected and for the love of all that was Holy, I felt complete. I could feel the flat planes of his chest against my cushy bosom, his strong, muscular legs against my scarcely covered ones, his long, straining erection against my hot mound. By now I was gripping his arm in a death hold that I didn't know if I'd ever be able to break. Our breathing turned ragged and I was sure that I'd probably faint in a few moments from lack of proper breathing. My leg tingled. Then stopped. Tingled. Stopped.

Edward closed his eyes and reluctantly let me go, taking a step back.

I cleared my throat and attempted to speak coherently, "You're vibrating."

His hand fisted into his pocket quickly, pulling out his cell phone and flipping it open in a matter of seconds.

I turned from him, opening my door and closing it softly behind me. The alarm buzzed in my ear, bringing in a harsh reality to the beautiful fantasy I had been living a moment ago.

Switching it off, I set the key down on the side table and took a minute to regulate my breathing. I took a swig of the punch, deciding that a swig really wasn't all that I needed and downed the thing in a matter of seconds.

Walking from the front door into my room, I decided that two things needed to be done: grab Alice's present, and change my underwear.

This was going to be a long night.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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	8. Oh, No He Di'int!

Chapter 8: Oh, No He Di'int!

XOXOXOXO

Composing myself was a well trained habit. Numerous times at work I'd have to turn around, take a few deep, calming breaths, think rationally through my irrational haze, and go back to reality.

Doing so now shouldn't be such a problem, so why was it posing as one?

I was jittery, my fingers and legs shaking as though I was a diabetic who needed a serious heaping teaspoon of sugar… or two.

I was walking from my bedroom towards the kitchen, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to be doing. I only had two objectives, both located in the same room that I had just vacated. Why was I walking to the kitchen, the exact opposite place of where I was intended? Setting my now empty cup down on the counter, I took a deep breath and attempted to calm down. I placed my elbows on the surface, my head falling into my hands as I wearily scrubbed at my face.

_Remember, Bella, take long breaths. Breathe through your eyelids. _Okay, the eyelid thing was from my mom, she was always telling me to relax. Breathing through my eyelids would always make me stop and think, bringing my brain to a different focus.

How can one single male be the cause of so much… such… bedlam? There was no other word to describe what he did to me. My body shook, my mind raced, my heart thudded unevenly against my ribs. I had pure adrenaline coursing through my veins and I felt extremely on edge. It was unnerving.

_Okay, bring yourself together now, Bella. No more dawdling around. Get Alice's gift, change your panties and get a move on._

Setting my resolve for the hundredth time that day, I squared my shoulders and journeyed through the apartment from the kitchen to my bedroom.

I'd left the present on the bed, sitting in a lime green bag with white tissue paper. I shifted my attention from the bed —_mind out of the gutter, Bella!_— to my dresser. I'd like the opportunity to sit down and not leave a wet spot on my dress. I seemed to have a slight problem with wetness whenever Edward was around. Hell, who could blame me? The man was the epitome of sex-appeal.

I changed my underwear quickly, afraid that if I took my time I'd fall victim to my own personal needs and never go back to the party.

I needed to write in my journal, vent some of my stress. Surely I had enough time to do that?

Making my decision quickly, I grabbed the pad from my nightstand and flopped down into a sitting position on the bed.

_Utter confusion. My mind is a jumble of right versus wrong, moral against immoral, need battling want. I feel shameful, so horrible that the object of my desires, and what fiery desires they are, is so… unavailable to me. Another incident happened today, two actually. The proximity alone nearly sent me into a lustful persona I couldn't control. I wanted to throw myself onto him and never let go. He's such an angel, such a good soul. I saw him with other needful people; he's a volunteer at a hospital. My heart swells and my breath catches whenever I remember seeing him interact with those less fortunate. I've seen a different side of MD, and I'm afraid that I'll see more things to make me fall into… what was this? Intense attraction? Lust? Dare I even say it, love?_

I looked up from my notebook, shock on my face.

Was I starting to fall in love with Edward Cullen?

I shook my head, trying to dispel the ridiculousness of falling into love with someone who I barely knew. I've only seen him a handful of times, there was no way I could be…

Could I?

I didn't know.

I had nothing to compare it to.

Jake and I… it was like I was looking at my brother, goofing off and knee-jerk reactions every time we were around each other. I had love for him, yes, but it wasn't romantic, it was platonic. It hurt to think that he did have those intense feelings for me and that I didn't… I couldn't return them.

Did he feel the same things for me that I felt for Edward?

Suddenly I was nauseous. Dropping my journal to the floor, I ran into the bathroom and had the dry heaves.

A moment of sickness turned out to relieve my anxiety, as I stood up I felt a thousand times better. I rinsed my mouth out with some water and took a good look at myself in the mirror.

Only an hour ago I had looked radiant, glowing with new possibilities. Now I looked like I'd been chewed up, spit out, rolled over with a tractor trailer and set on fire. On the good side, my dress looked fine.

I ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to tame the wild crow's nest that had accumulated without my permission. It was pointless, after a minute I gave up and headed back into my bedroom. Picking up the notebook, I placed it on the nightstand once more and grabbed Alice's gift.

I made my way back to the kitchen, grabbing my cup and key from the counter before promptly spinning on my heel and heading back to the front door. Leaning my ear against the door, I tried to make out if Edward was still out there on his cell phone. I didn't hear much, so I assumed that he'd gone back to the party.

I set the alarm and walked out the door, closing and locking it behind me. Turning to the side to put my key back under the mat, I noticed Edward leaning with his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He was waiting for me, again.

I hate assuming. Usually because I was always wrong. Like now.

"Sorry, I had to take that call. Bella, I-" he started. I couldn't hear any lies from him. I couldn't take the pain of rejection, even if I knew it was the right choice.

"Don't worry about it, Edward. Let's just go back to the party. I'm sure they're all wondering where you'd gone off to." I slipped the key under the mat and straightened up. Tears had formed in my eyes and I couldn't let him see me that way.

Never let anyone see you weak, they'll always take advantage of you.

Without glancing at him, I made my way to Alice's door, worrying my bottom lip.

He grabbed my arm, "Hey, Bella, what's wrong?" he sounded worried.

I couldn't look at him, so I closed my eyes softly. I tried to answer in my most normal voice, "I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

His grip tightened and I almost let out a sob. "You do know that you can talk to me if you need to, right Bella? I'll be here for you, always."

God, I wished I could believe his words, no matter how truthful they sounded.

I couldn't think of a reply. Seriously, how would, '_Thanks Edward, but since your fiancé hates my guts, I don't think you'll be available to me_' have sounded? How about, '_Gee, Eddie thanks for the offer, but I'm seriously high on morals and can't be trusted to be alone in the same room with you_'. Yeah, that one was a keeper.

I nodded my head once, quickly, and turned the knob to enter Alice's apartment.

Hastily, I made my way to the drink table to refresh my cup. It looked lonely being all empty and sad. To my surprise, everyone was exactly as I had left them. Rose and Emmett stood on one side of the table while Angela and Jasper flanked the other side.

I walked up to them and deposited my gift along with the others that had magically appeared in my departure.

My tears had been wiped away as soon as I had entered the apartment, the back of my hand smudged with black remnants of my make-up. I hoped that no one would notice my blotchy cheeks or red tipped nose. I could always try to play it off as allergies.

"I heard the girl was attacked _on_ campus. She was supposedly on her way back to her dorm from the library or something. She got jumped from behind and doesn't remember anything," Angela stated with concern.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"A few weeks ago some girl was ambushed at U-Dub. She was released earlier this week and no one still has any clue about who did it," Emmett answered.

"Wow, at least she's still alive, right? It sounds like it was pretty harsh, for her to be hospitalized for weeks instead of days. She's lucky," I said while pouring more punch into my glass.

"Yeah, but now everyone's worried about other attacks. As far as the police can tell, it was an unprovoked, one time occurrence. They've even asked us if we know of any gang activity in the area," Jessica spoke up as she and Mike walked up to the table. I moved towards Angela and Jasper to make room for them.

"Gang activity? I've lived here for two years and the gangs tend to keep the main city off their grids. It's the deserted areas of town they should be watching out for," I said before taking a drink.

"Well, all the same, little lady. I'd still like for both you and Alice to be extra careful 'round here."

"Us as well, Bella, please be careful." I was startled as Dr. Cullen and a middle aged woman came up and joined our conversation.

He was dressed nicely in a long sleeve button up shirt with white pants and shoes. His companion, a lovely woman who looked soft and feminine, held his arm at the elbow. She looked earthy with her auburn hair rolling gently down her shoulders and dark green eyes that immediately reminded me of Edward. Esme Cullen, Edward's mother, stood before us in a kind, motherly energy. Her dress was light orange, the color of sorbet, and landed at the bottom of her kneecaps. The top portion was a tank-top; the square neckline showcased her collarbones prominently.

"Dr. Cullen, what a surprise to see you. How are you?" I asked while trying not to choke on the latest sip of punch I'd taken.

He laughed a moment, "Outside of the hospital, you are more than welcome to call me Carlisle, Bella. Unless you want me to call you by your surname every time we talk?"

I blushed, the warmth taking up residence in my entire body. "Fine, Carlisle. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you for asking. This is my wife, Esme," he gestured as she held out her hand to me. I took it immediately, glad that at least someone at this party wasn't afraid of shaking hands. I was taken aback by the feel of her handshake. I assumed that her grasp would mirror Tanya's, cold and unwilling. She surprised me by grabbing my hand firm and strong, she was sure of herself, confident of her choices and decisions.

"It's a pleasure Bella, I've heard many great things about you," she said in a warm tone.

"Very nice to meet you, Esme."

Crap. It was the only safe thing I could come up with besides, 'So when's your next magazine spread coming out?'. Knowing my luck, everyone would mistake my comment to mean that I thought her a porn-model. There was always the standby, 'Gee Esme, you've raised a very handsome son. I dream about fucking him, isn't that neat-o?' And what was with this, 'I've heard many great things about you,' bologna? Alice must've told her all about me, there was no way that Edward would have.

"Hey, Auntie Esme! You're looking fabulous, girlfriend!" Emmett mocked as he took on a lisp and gay-waved at her.

She chuckled before replying, "Oh well, you know us girls gotta keep our men any way we can, right?"

We all laughed as Emmett gathered her into a giant hug and, after releasing her, pecked her on the cheek.

She went around the rest of the group, hugging or kissing each of them on the cheek in greeting.

"Great, now that the pleasantries are over, I have a request, Bella," Carlisle said as he turned to me.

_No, Carlisle, I will not have hot animal sex with you while I think about your son no matter how many times you beg me._ I snorted._ Oh, wait, he's waiting for me to say something._

"Oh, um, okay?"

"I must admit that my voyage over here is not entirely social, Edward is concerned over a cut you've seemed to acquire and wishes me to look at it. He refuses to let me leave this area until I have done so. Would you mind showing it to me?" Carlisle smiled widely, raising his eyebrows and joking with me in the process of his confession.

Edward was concerned over the cut? It wasn't anything to be worried over. Sure it throbbed every once in a while, but as far as I could tell it wasn't still actively bleeding.

Seeing the pleading look in Carlisle's eyes, I agreed and we moved into the kitchen.

He slowly pulled the band-aid off that Edward had so sensuously placed on me. I was correct, it was no longer bleeding. It looked pretty mashed up though and before I could register another thought, Edward was standing behind me in the kitchen. _Where the hell did he come from?_

"So tell me what happened, Bella," Carlisle asked in his doctor voice.

"We, Edward and I, were standing here, finishing the food for Alice. I was cutting up some cheese into cubes and I guess I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and sliced myself." I conveniently left out the part where I was staring at Edward when my attention was diverted. No one else needed to know that.

Carlisle continued looking at my finger, pulling at the skin to check how far the knife had gone. "Well, you're considerably lucky. You managed to not knick any major blood vessels and the knife didn't get to far in to hit bone. You won't need any stitches, what you did earlier was just right."

I blushed, "Actually, Edward fixed me up. I can't stand the sight of blood."

"Good job then, Edward. I trust you can fix her up again since you know where everything already is." Carlisle washed his hands quickly and towel dried them off before heading back towards the party.

I stood leaning against the counter awkwardly. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say to Edward, but I was afraid of saying too much. I worried my lip again to keep myself from spouting off some random fact about Pluto not being a planet any longer. Stupid scientists don't know how much it hurts to downgrade a regular planet to a dwarf planet. It's not like it couldn't hold its own with all of the other planets or anything.

Edward walked past me and into the kitchen. He pulled the antiseptic ointment and some band-aids out of his pocket. _Why is he still carrying those things with him? He isn't the first aid police for the party, is he?_

He must've seen the confusion written on my face. "I was holding onto some of them for you. You know, in case something else happened, I wanted to be prepared."

_Oh, he's trying to take care of me._

Now I felt like a complete bitch for the way I was acting towards him.

His hands were fumbling with the band-aid, getting it ready to put on me when the time came. Consciously, for once, I moved my hand to his to still his movements. He stopped, looking up at my face with curious eyes.

I met his gaze dead on and told him truthfully, sincerely, "Thank you, Edward."

It was his turn to blush. "You're welcome, Bella." He flashed me a quick grin and continued, "Now sit still or else I may end up bandaging the wrong finger."

I snorted lightly, earning me my favorite grin from him in return. "Loser. Just finish mending me, my crowd awaits." I said regally, my nose turned up in the air.

He burst out laughing and I couldn't help but break character and giggle along with him.

"So why aren't you studying medicine like your dad did?" I asked as he spread the ointment over the cut. I winced at the slight sting. _Funny, I don't remember it stinging the first time._

"I have different passions. For instance, I'm majoring in music at U-Dub. I love to create things, where my father fixes them. I've learned my fair share of basic first aid from volunteering since high school. But that's all I'm interested in, basic first aid."

I nodded my head, understanding perfectly where he was coming from.

"Why do you work at the mall? Wouldn't you rather be going to school or something?" he asked quietly. It was as if he was uncertain if he could ask me anything at all.

Sighing, I answered, "I work at the mall because it's the only place that would hire me when I was looking for work. I'm smart, don't get me wrong, but college just didn't seem to fit with me. For starters, I don't even know what I really like to do. I don't know if I want to work with people, or if I want to stay in a cubicle for the rest of my adult life. So you can see where I would like to keep my parents hard earned money and use it for something guaranteed. Why spend the cash if I wasn't sure what I would be doing with the degree?"

It was his turn to nod at my reasoning as he smoothed a band aid on my finger once again. "What do you like to do?"

"Uh, you want to narrow that down a little bit? I like to do a lot of things."

"I mean in your free time. What's the one thing you would always want to do when you were little? What do you do whenever you have a day off now?" He asked eagerly.

"I always swam when I was younger. But I can't just swim through my life. Now I write. I have this journal, well several really, that I started when I moved away from Charlie's, I mean, my dad's. It helps me cope with being alone."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're not going to be alone any longer. Would you still write if you weren't compelled to do so?" His eyes were shining, as if he were onto some huge discovery.

I was getting confused with his line of questioning. "I'd feel lost without it, so yes."

"Then we have two things to work with. Swimming and writing." He flashed me a smile.

_Huh. Swimming and writing. Writing about swimming. Writing about water. _

_There might be something to that. _

_Wait, did Edward just help me? Did he find a way around my mental block for changing careers? Had he aided me in finding a purpose for myself?_

His smile was contagious; I couldn't help but answer it back with one of my own.

Angela poked her head in, "We're giving her the presents now, guys. Everyone's sitting in the living room. C'mon!"

Edward and I looked at each other, both laughing softly at Angela's exuberance. Quickly cleaning up the small mess of band aid strips and used paper towels, I grabbed my drink and followed Edward out into the living room. Someone had turned off the music, thankfully, so that we could hear Alice talking.

Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap, being handed my present.

"Bella, you seriously need to put a card or something on the presents you give away. That way we'll know who it's from!"

"How did you know it was from me then, if it didn't have a card?" I replied jokingly.

"I saw you walk in with it, duh!"

Everyone laughed; I curled an arm around my waist trying to contain my nervousness.

"Oh, it's perfect! These are going to be so cool, thank you!" She squealed excitedly as she pulled the package from the bag.

"Yeah, well, I saw the skull and crossbones and immediately thought of you. You're welcome." I blushed at confessing that I knew Alice and her tastes after only a few weeks of knowing her.

She continued opening gifts from everyone else; a new bed set from Carlisle and Esme, a fondue set from Emmett and Rosalie, a small boom-box radio from Tyler, a gift certificate to Starbucks from Eric, a front door sign of a frazzled looking Tinkerbell that read, 'Knock and you die, Bub' from Jessica and Mike, a small bottle of perfume from Lauren, a new alarm clock in the shape of a shopping bag from Angela and Ben, a wall design that read, 'Home is where the heart is. Find in that heart happiness and love for you shall never want without' from Jasper, and an apron with the Tasmanian Devil on it from Edward.

All in all, Alice got a pretty good haul. She invited everyone to stay for a while longer and I felt myself choosing to hang around. Sunset quickly descended on everyone, the lack of a burning ball of gas bringing a refreshing change from the humid daytime sun.

She immediately ran into the kitchen and filled her new present from me with water. "Bella, these are so cool! You have no idea how completely awesome they are," she said excitedly.

"I'm just glad you like it. That's all that matters to me," I replied.

Mostly everyone had gone back to dancing near the front door. I took the chance to occupy one of the empty seats. After standing for a while in those kitten heels, my feet were a little bit achy and needed a rest.

I watched everyone interact with each other. Carlisle and Esme always had constant contact with each other, whether it was as simple as his hand on her back or a lingering kiss on the cheek. It was endearing to see people act so in love with each other. Alice, Jasper and Edward were in the kitchen making slushies for everyone. Ben and Angela walked around freely, though one of them always had an eye-line of the other. Mike was talking with Tyler and Eric by the snack table, sneaking extra pieces of food whenever no one was paying attention. Jessica, Lauren, Rosalie and Emmett were huddled near the front door, trying to get more cold air into the apartment.

I was brought out of my musings when a frosty, strawberry slushie was thrust under my nose.

"I'll trade you this frozen, tasty treat for the warm liquid in your hand," Edward said in a taunting, sing-song voice.

I chuckled at his humor, giving him my old cup and taking the new glass from him.

"I'll be right back," he stated as he headed back into the kitchen. He appeared next to me on the loveseat a moment later with a hand filled with his own glass of slushie.

"I want to make a toast," he said suddenly.

"Er…okay. What are you going to toast to?" I asked curiously.

"To your twenty-first birthday, of course. You only turn twenty-one once, and it should be celebrated with copious amounts of alcohol, friends, and presents," Alice chirped from beside him.

_Meddling pixie, when did she move next to Edward?_

She was standing beside the arm of the loveseat where Edward was perched, holding her glass aloft. Everyone followed suit, albeit, I did so grudgingly.

"Happy birthday, Bella!" Everyone chorused. Multiple clinks could be heard around the room as each and every person toasted and took sips from their glasses.

My glass clinked with Edward's and we smiled at each other before taking our sips. I held his gaze as the first drop of the cool liquid hit my tongue.

Now, if I wasn't raised by a police chief of a father, I would have probably known what alcohol tasted like. As it was, I had been raised by an officer of the law and thus had never tasted a single drop of liquor before the day of my legal birthday.

Boy, had I wished I knew how strong the flavor could be. I probably would've reacted differently.

I almost choked on a single sip, the liquid burning my throat as I swallowed.

My eyes teared up, my cheeks turned red and I felt like I would cough up a lung. But I was stubborn and would not concede defeat, so I swallowed my mouthful slowly, carefully, and attempted to not chicken out in front of everyone.

To keep focused, I held fast to Edward's gaze. It was like he was daring me, yet coaching me, to finish it at the same time. My glass lowered slowly,

"Now, I hope everyone has designated drivers," Esme spoke up.

"Don't worry, Auntie. Only Bella's drink was spiked. We had to celebrate her birthday in some way," Emmett reassured her while my eyes bugged out. _Of all the dirty tricks…_

"We can make sure she gets home safely, Mom. She does live right across the hall you know," Edward added.

"Well, that does make me feel better," she said while smiling, then added, "Your father and I do have to be getting home though, dear. He's got an early shift at the hospital."

He nodded and stood up to usher them out the door. I stayed sitting on the loveseat and slowly drank from my cup. _After the first initial burn, your taste buds get used to the sensation. _

Alice joined me on the couch, taking Edward's vacated spot. "So how does it taste?"

"Eh, it's alright. The first taste is the clincher though," I answered slowly.

"Tequila. I figured your first taste of alcohol should be something party-centered. Who doesn't like a margarita?"

I giggled at her confession.

"And honestly, we've all got a little bit in our glasses. Well, you, Em, Rose, Jazz, Edward and I do at least. I don't mind if they all crash here, but the others… I know that they've got other plans tomorrow."

"So Emmett lied to Esme?"

"Technically a little white fib, an omission. He only said that your drink was _spiked_. Spiking suggests that you didn't know alcohol was in it. We knew ours were." She flashed me a grin and I couldn't help but actually smile along with her.

"You do know that deception is the highest form of betrayal, right?"

"Well, you can't blame us for aiming high then," she responded coyly as she brought her drink up to her lips.

I shook my head at her tenacity. She swallowed her sip quickly, opening her mouth to say something when Emmett approached us.

"Okay, girlies. It's time for Bella's presents."

I opened my mouth, "No, Emmett, I don't need-"

"No 'buts' missy. If you don't shut up about this 'no celebrating, no presents' thing I'll be forced to throw you into the pool with all of your clothes on."

"Em, what pool?"

"The pool at the University or even the aquatic therapy pool at the hospital. I am strong, Bella. You'd probably weigh a buck twenty soaking wet. I think I could manage taking you hostage," He said menacingly.

_What was it with this family and taking me against my will? Alice had taken me to the hospital first, now Emmett was threatening to throw me into a pool. Even Edward had taken me against my will. I didn't want to have feelings for him, but he captivated me._

_Damn._

I huffed, "Fine Emmett. But I want the record to show that I do not appreciate threats. Way not cool, dude."

I shook my head as people started gathering around me, Emmett walked off to get my gifts. I blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, starting to feel uncomfortable with the crowd gathering around me.

Edward poked his head through the semi-circle, then, somehow sensed my discomfort; he pushed through and came to sit on the arm of the loveseat next to me. I smiled gratefully at him as he reached out a hand to rub my shoulder. Instantly my mounting anxiety vanished, his touch alone soothed me and calmed my being.

"Okay Emmy Bear, bring on the loot," I grumbled.

He returned with his arms full of bags, pushing his way past Eric into the semi-circle. Alice, still sitting next to me, looked up into Jasper's face, a sly smile on her lips. I closed my eyes and scrunched my nose up. Maybe if I didn't see the presents, they weren't really there.

Peeking open an eye, I concluded that my life sucked and that if I believed in something hard enough, it wouldn't happen. Fuck my life.

Emmett still stood before me, arms laden with fluffy looking containers. I didn't know everyone at the party, how the hell were there so many gifts?

"Well, pick one already!" He had the most adorable look on his face, a mixture of excitement and toughness.

I saw Eric snicker, which he tried to turn into a cough. Emmett turned and glared at him, silently daring him to say something. Eric turned slightly green and promptly looked away from Emmett, scurrying over to the other side of the group.

Chuckling, Emmett turned back to me, thrusting his arms in my direction. "Well, hurry up! My arms are starting to hurt," he whined.

Alice took my drink from me as Edward plucked one from the top and turned to me, the package dangling from his long fingers. Grabbing it slowly, I saw that it didn't have a tag.

"Hmm, I wonder who this one's from." I asked quizzically.

"Oh, that's from Jazz and me."

"You filthy hypocrite!" I yelled loudly.

She giggled at me, "Why?"

"Cause you yelled at me for not putting a card on your gift, and here is a gift, from you to me, that doesn't have a tag on it! Plus you already got me the belt!" I rambled.

My body was starting to feel loose, as if I'd disconnected all the joints in my body. Alice leaned her head against my shoulder, "Bella, it's your birthday. You're allowed to accept presents. In fact, it's strongly enforced. And technically, Jazz forgot to put a tag on it."

"Oh that's right; throw your boyfriend under the bus for you. I see how it is. Remind me to not be around you whenever you mess something up. I don't want to go to prison for your scrawny ass," I said sarcastically.

Everyone chuckled at our antics; I completely forgot that there was even a group of people waiting for me to open the gift. Oops.

I ripped off the tissue paper, eager to chew her out for giving me another pointless gift when I saw it.

"Oh, Alice."

Nestled at the bottom of the bag was a silver 8x10 mirrored picture frame, embossed on either sides was the word, 'friends'.

"Jasper helped pick it out too," she spoke up from beside me.

I turned to face the both of them, "Thank you. So, so much, thank you."

Jasper smirked and tipped his imaginary hat at me in response.

Alice bounced in her seat, "We just have to get a picture to put in there!"

I laughed, "Nah, the couple inside looks good enough to me."

She punched me on the shoulder. "Ouch, Alice! Invalid, here. You don't have to hurt the already broken," I yelped.

"We're taking a picture whether you like it or not. It's just a matter of when. Capiche?"

"Quiche? Where?" Mike whirled around, asking.

"Not quiche, you moron, capiche. Italian term for understanding? Got it?" Jessica elbowed him in the ribs.

A light chuckle ran through the room. "Yeah, there's no quiche," Mike answered as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and toed at the floor.

Edward picked another gift from the pile in Emmett's arms and handed it to me while Alice took the picture frame from my grasp.

It was a plain envelope attached to a light colored bag with white tissue paper sticking out of it. Inside the envelope was a gift card to Fox Hollow from Angela and Ben.

"Aw, thanks guys! I much prefer them to Starbucks, how'd you know?"

Angela grinned, "We didn't, but I figured since it was the only coffee place in the mall you might like it. I'm glad I was right. Go ahead and open the bag."

I took the bag in my hand, weighing it experimentally and making everyone laugh. Taking out the tissue paper and handing it to Alice, I tipped the bag into my palm and a little portable first aid kit fell into it. It was a round hiking water bottle filled with little rubbing alcohol squares, Batman band-aids, and a bottle of aspirin.

"It's for your car, that way you'll always have something to help save yourself with," Angela added.

"Holy preparedness, Batman! Ha ha, thanks Angela, Ben," I joked.

Alice took the gift card and bottle from me and gestured to Edward to hand me the next gift.

"That's from Em and me," Rose spoke up from Jasper's left.

I opened the envelope that had been taped to the top of a blue bag. Another gift card, only this time it was to their automotive shop. I looked at them curiously.

"We took a look at your truck the other day. Edward said something about it pulling to the left. We're offering to fix it for you, free of charge," Rose explained.

I chuckled, "Thanks guys, I'll be sure to get it over to you soon."

Then, becoming playful, I turned to Edward, "My truck pulls to the left? What's this bull-shit?"

"What? It does! An-and I just mentioned it in passing, so… it's not a big deal or anything," he floundered, holding his hands up in defense.

It was fun to watch him squirm, though I didn't feel like being mean to him. I grinned, "Yeah, I know it does. It's been that way ever since I got it."

Unfolding the opening of the package, I peeked inside and smelled deliciousness.

"Mmm, are these cookies?" I asked as my head barely rose from the bag.

"Chocolate chip to be precise. I heard you mention those the last time we were here and couldn't get them out of my mind," Emmett answered.

"Emmy Bear, I think I love you. Rose, you've got some serious competition," I said seriously. Emmett puffed out his chest and his whole face lit up in a proud smile at my statement.

"You know what; you can keep him whenever he farts. I relinquish my claim on him then," Rose agreed.

He turned back to her, "I do not fart, I fluffy. There's a difference."

"And what is that, number of syllables?" I offered.

He 'hmphed', pursed his lips and rolled his eyes while everyone chortled.

Turning back to Alice, I asked, "Can I have my drink? I'm a little parched."

I grabbed my glass out of her proffered hand and took a few pulls of the chilled liquid.

"Okay, what's next?" I asked Emmett. There was only one more package left, a deep red bag with black tissue paper sticking out of it.

"This one's from me," Edward said as Emmett handed him the bag.

He passed me the gift slowly, trying to keep eye contact. "I thought this appropriate after the way we met the first time," he stated as he passed me the bag. Alice took my drink from me once again to free up my hands.

I worried my lip and played with the top of the package apprehensively. "It's not going to jump out and bite me, is it?" I asked coyly.

Laughing, Edward answered, "No, Bella. It's not going to jump out and bite you, just open it already. There's nothing to be weary of."

The black tissue paper made the object inside stand out like a sore thumb.

I started laughing hysterically. "Edward, you didn't," I managed out between hiccups.

"I sure did, now show everyone before they assume I got you laughing gas."

I pulled the round, white objects out of the bag, and held them up for everyone to see.

My face blushed ten different shades of red as everyone looked around in confusion.

"You got her those sticky lights? The ones you can stick to the wall to see in the dark with? Why?" Lauren asked from Edward's right.

"Basically there was a-a moment where I needed some, ah, illumination and couldn't find it. I ended up at the hospital because of it an-and that was where we first met." I answered, trying my best to not to die of humiliation. _Oh, if they only knew the real story._

I saw Edward smirk at me from the corner of my eye and smacked him in the chest on purpose. "You're a jerk face right now. You know that, right?" I dead-panned.

"Yeah, but at least it made you laugh. And face it, they'll come in handy. I wouldn't want the same thing to occur again," he acquiesced.

"Thanks, Edward," I said while looking down and blushing.

The crowd had dispersed, going back to mingling around the room.

Alice was beaming at me from her seat, both of our drinks in her hand. I took mine back from her and took a few more sips from it.

"Are you feeling the alcohol yet?" she asked conspiratorially.

I giggled, "I'm not sure, I feel pretty… oh what's the word? Loose? Oh no, that's not the word. That would be a bad, bad thing if I were loose. Light. There, that's the word. I feel pretty light and free."

She laughed at my choice of words. "Yes, sweetheart, you are feeling the liquor. I'm going to put all this trash in the recycle. Why don't you go ahead and walk around a little bit?"

I nodded at her while Edward shifted from his perch on the arm of the loveseat. Turning towards him, I tried my hardest to not look directly ahead at the crotch of his pants. If I was slightly inebriated, I could not be held accountable for my actions regarding him and his glory pole. My inner reasoning did inform me that I would be asked a hell of a lot of questions about it in the morning, though. I focused instead on the hand that was stretched out in front of me, offering to help me up from my seat.

Taking it gratefully, I was pulled up quickly. My balance being as fucked up as it is, I wobbled on my feet slightly in front of Edward.

_Note to self: Next time you consume alcohol do not wear any kind of heeled shoe. That is all. Okaythanksbye._

Edward's other hand came around to hold me steady around the waist, while our clasped hands rested on his chest near his unsteadily beating heart.

_Hmm, we've met before Mr. Sex Hair. _

I grinned sinfully at him, eyeing him up like the piece of ass that I so desperately needed to have.

"Hello, good sir," I said lowly.

"Bella, you're tipsy," was his chuckling reply.

_That's not all I am…_

"Why yes, I do believe I am. What are you going to do about it?" I purred seductively.

_Purred seductively? Oh, Bella's a naughty, naughty girl when she drinks apparently. Heh, heh, and she likes it!_

He gazed into my eyes, searching each one thoroughly before dropping down to my lips. I licked them in anticipation.

"Bella, there you are!" Jake called as he came in to Alice's apartment from the landing of my own.

Edward released my waist, swinging around to stand by my side as Jake continued on his path to me.

"Jake, what- oof!" I'd been cut short as Jake's massive arms wrapped around my frame, knocking the wind out of me and lifting me up off the ground. My hand slipped from Edward's as I tried to hold on for dear life.

"Happy birthday, baby!" he said before setting me back down on the ground and crashing his lips to my own.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

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I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

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	9. Let Go, I've Had Enough

Brief A/N: If anyone touches you without your express permission, it is not okay. Stand up for yourself. Be heard. The contents of this story are fictional and as such are only briefly mentioned for the storyline purpose. No harm is intended.

XOXOXOXO

Chapter 9: Let Go, I've Had Enough

XOXOXOXO

My eyes widened in shock and surprise as Jake's lips pressed forcefully against mine.

Wolf-whistles and cat-calls filled my ears as people clapped and cheered from all around me.

_NO!_

_Edward._

_What will he think?_

_I have to stop this, put an end to it. It's not right, it doesn't feel good._

I pushed against his arms with all my might, silently telling him to let go of me but he wouldn't listen. I tried pulling my face back from his but whenever my head moved, his moved with it. My voice wouldn't work; I was too terrified of egging him on. So I did the next natural thing, I froze. My body locked down, I was as still as a statue against his big structure.

Sure, I wanted to be kissed right now, but not by him. No, definitely not by him.

He released me quickly — thank the Lord — with a big, smug smile on his face.

I stared at him in shock for a few moments, unsure if what had just taken place actually happened or if I was hallucinating from the alcohol. My lips throbbed uncomfortably, insisting that it hadn't been a nightmare.

This didn't sit well with me, my stomach clenched uncomfortably and my head swam on overdrive with too many thoughts running around.

"Go wait outside for me please, Jacob," I said quietly as I forced myself to reawaken. I was torn between yelling at him in the crowded space or doing it in the privacy of my own home where I could use all the bad words I could think of.

His tall frame turned from me. Putting his hands in his pockets, he whistled as he left Alice's party — all with a smile still in place. I saw some people clapping him on the back as he strode past them.

I whirled around, looking for Edward to tell him — no, to plead to him — that it wasn't what it looked like.

Edward and I weren't together as a couple, but I felt… wrong — like I'd betrayed him and I needed to explain.

But he'd disappeared.

My eyes darted around quickly, searching through the mass of people that had somehow surrounded me in the short time of that assault. Feeling everyone's eyes on me, my blush made its way to my face. I was literally burning with embarrassment.

I found Alice first. Her eyes were round, eyebrows arched, and mouth shaped into an, what I would have found hilarious in any other situation, "o". Going to her, I reached a hand out to grab hers.

"Alice, please, I need to talk to Edward. Did you see where he went?" I knew my voice sounded frantic, but there was no way to help it. I was shaking inside.

"Edward? Why do you want to talk to him? Your boyfriend's waiting for you at your apartment," she said slowly, confusedly, as she blinked away her surprise.

"He's not- that's Jake- we're just-" I fumbled out. My mind obviously wasn't working correctly; I couldn't concentrate on which facet of truth I wanted to tell her first.

"I think he left, Bella. Edward… left," she said softly. There was something in the glint of her eyes that made me feel extremely bad. I could also see the wheels of her mind turning, thinking about something.

"He's gone?" My voice sounded hollow, empty, hoarse.

She could only nod her head.

"If he comes back Alice, you have to tell him… God, please tell him that Jake's nothing more than a friend."

Its not like Edward and I were betrothed to each other or anything, but I needed the chance to explain. I needed for him to understand…

She nodded again and I took it as my silent cue to leave. There was nothing more I could do here.

I felt defeated. I turned from her slowly and hung my head. I'd ruined her party and there was nothing I could do to make it up to her. She probably thought that I'd lied to her about not having a boyfriend. I couldn't lie to Alice; honestly I had no reason to do so.

My heart ached. How the hell could this have happened? One second we were having a good time and the next it'd all been blown to hell. My stomach clenched again. I was a failure, a menace. I didn't deserve to be there.

I was definitely throwing up and taking a long, hot shower after I ripped Jake a new one. How dare he make me feel like shit.

I walked slowly out of Alice's apartment, afraid of all the stares that were following me. For the most part, everyone had gone back to conversing in little groups strewn across the apartment, though I could hear people's hushed tones and stolen glances as I passed by them. For all I knew, everyone thought my boyfriend had just suddenly crashed Alice's party and swept me off my feet. Oh, how wrong they were.

Finally making it to Alice's front door, I stopped and stared at Jake across the hall. It seemed like forever ago that Edward was in the exact same position that Jake was in now. He leaned against the wall next to my apartment door, whistling softly to himself.

I shook my head at myself. They were two completely different people, with completely different tastes and attitudes. It was unfair to compare the two of them together.

Reaching down to grab the key from under the mat, Jake stepped away from the wall.

"We didn't have to leave the party, Bells. It looked pretty fun, plus there was food!" He said enthusiastically, sounding a lot like a little kid.

"I can't talk to you out here, we need to be inside," was my cold answer. _That way no one can say for sure that it was me that murdered you…_

Straightening up, I reached for the doorknob and unlocked it, ushering him inside while I attended to the alarm. As soon as the door closed I whirled on him. He stood before me casually, as if nothing were wrong.

"You can't just… just… attack me like that, Jake!" I said loudly.

A perplexed look was all I got back.

"Gah!" I screamed while I threw my hands up in the air.

"Do you _not_ understand what you just did back there?" I continued.

"Bella, I kissed you! Big deal! It's not like we haven't kissed before," he said defensively.

"I didn't want you to kiss me, Jake! And besides, we're not dating anymore! There's no reason for you to do that," I spoke angrily.

"Just because we aren't dating doesn't mean that my feelings for you have faded away. Bella, you know that I love you," he said seriously.

"Don't do this Jake. Please, don't do this," I whimpered. _Don't pull the L card on me._

"It's true! Bella, you're _it_ for me. I've looked for someone else that could make me feel a fraction of what I feel for you, I can't find anyone. No one compares to you," he said as he walked towards me.

I held my hands up in front of me, blocking off his advances. "You can't say that, Jake. You're only twenty years old for Christ's sake!

"But I _can_ say that. I can say it because I am _sure_ of it, I'm sure of _you_. Don't you love me?"

_Oh, low blow, dude._

"Of course I do. You _know_ that I do. But I don't love you like that, like the way you say you love me. You're family, Jake. You're one of my best friends," I pleaded with him, tears forming in my eyes

"What's your point? You're one of my best friends too, but I still love you," he said softly.

"Jake…" I sighed as I scrubbed at my face with my fingers. Wasn't he getting this? How many times did I have to say it wasn't romantic love I felt for him? _I guess it's time to pull out the big guns and be blunt._

I drew myself up to my full height. "No."

"No? No what?" he asked as he scrunched up his brow.

"No more, Jake. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I don't feel the same way you do," I replied sternly.

"You'll grow to love me that way." Now it was his turn to plead. I felt my heart tear. _I am such a horrible person. No one deserves to be talked to this way, not ever._

My voice wavered as I responded, "I don't want to grow to love you. We've been in each other's lives for so long that if I haven't grown to love you yet, I won't. You'll always be a friend to me, _always_. You're an attractive, caring man, Jacob Black. Someone will see that and love you for it, but that person isn't me."

He began walking towards me once more. The tears fell from my eyes as I blocked him again, "I can't do this anymore, Jake. I need for you to leave now."

I saw the hurt in his eyes, which I was sure were mirrored in my own.

"You're breaking my heart, Bells," he said softly.

"I wish I didn't have to," I whispered as my throat clenched with a pending sob.

I moved away from the door so that he could leave, my eyes never leaving the floor.

I. Felt. Like. Scum.

As he brushed past me, I felt him place a feather light kiss on the top of my head. Closing my eyes briefly, I tried to contain the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. I just needed to hold onto my composure for another minute until he left. Surely I could do that for him? For me?

The door clicked softly and I silently counted to ten. I could hear his footsteps echo down the stairs and as soon as I couldn't hear them any longer, I let myself go to pieces. I leaned back heavily against the door and slowly slid down it until I'd come to rest on the floor.

The music from Alice's party had quieted substantially. No longer could I hear the dull thumps of the bass, though some melodic crooner was singing to my soul.

My cries turned into wails and I tried my hardest to contain them but my heart was having none of it.

Timid knocks sounded on the front door, echoing through my body as I let it bear my weight.

My noises subsided; I didn't want to attract any attention to myself or my now ruined make-up job.

The knocking started again, rattling my bones. I slipped off my shoes, it would be hard enough to get up from the floor without my eyesight being degraded, and I didn't need my feet making it worse. Once upright, I looked out the peephole to see who it was that needed something of me right now.

Rose.

I cracked open the door an inch. "Rosalie? What's going on?" I sounded horrible, like I'd had a terrible bout of the flu and couldn't blow my nose to save my life.

"Let me in, Bella," she said immediately, sounding angry.

"Wha-?"

"Cut the shit, Bella. Just let me in already!" She tapped a foot and propped the opposite hand on her hip. She meant business.

"Okay, okay," I answered hastily as I opened the door more to let her in.

She breezed in and came to a stop right behind me in the entry way. I closed the door, becoming slightly afraid of her attitude.

"Rose, what's going on?" I croaked.

"You. Sit down, we need to talk," she said tersely as she pointed towards the living room.

I complied immediately. She meant business about whatever it was that was on her mind. She sat down next to me on the couch, I sniffled quietly as she got situated and faced me.

"So what's with all this?" she asked while gesturing to my face.

"Personal stuff, nothing I need to bore you with," I said quietly.

"Well, that's what I'm here about, personal stuff. So you can either tell me now or wait until I'm done speaking. And since you don't want to talk about it at the moment, I'll just plow right through," she said swiftly.

"I like you, Bella. I do. You stand up for the people I care about, you're funny and really easy to get along with. But this thing with Edward — whatever it is — needs to be taken care of."

_Edward? Shit, I don't even know what there is between him and me._

"I'm not following," I said slowly.

"The two of you are obviously attracted to each other. Why not do something about it?"

_WHAT DID SHE DRINK AT THE PARTY AND WHERE CAN I GET SOME OF HER DELUSION?_

I started sputtering, "Wha- no, he can't possibly- you must be mistaken."

Rose started blankly at me.

"What about Tanya?" I asked incredulously.

No matter what planet you were on, I'm pretty sure cheating is a big 'do not pass go' and 'do not collect $200'.

"What about her? I mean, yeah, she's a bitch and a half, but she won't be a problem."

My eyes must have been as wide as saucers.

"What? You've met her, you know how she acts," Rose continued.

Oh, boy was I confused.

"Wait a minute… You _are_ opposed to Emmett cheating on you, right?"

"Hell yes! Who's the slut and where'd you hear it from?" she replied angrily, starting to get up from her position on my couch.

"No! No, that's not what I meant at all," I replied while reaching out a hand to grab her arm and still her movements.

_So if she was against cheating, why would she propose that Edward and I do it?_

"Then why'd you bring it up? Way to give me a heart attack," she answered sourly while settling herself back into the cushions.

"Tanya would be against cheating as well, right? Unless she's a closet free-thinker, I would have thought she needed to have her hand on someone's throat all the time." I thought out loud.

She furrowed her brow at me, "I guess she's against it too. But honestly, what are we talking about her for? She doesn't have anything to do with you and Edward."

I looked at her confusedly.

Of course Tanya has everything to do with Edward and me. First off, 'Tanya and Edward' exist, while 'Edward and I' don't. Secondly, she and Edward were engaged to be married, Edward and I were not. And thirdly, she and Edward had everything in common, where as he and I didn't.

Rose took my silence as a cue for her to continue on with the conversation.

"So, before we got sidetracked with cheating and Tanya, I'd asked you a question. And since I'm thinking about it, what was with that kiss between you and tall, dark, and bulky? It didn't look like you were too into it, unless it was a first time occurrence."

"That's what I was crying about. His name's Jake, we've been friends for a really long time," I said while sniffling again.

"So he's your boyfriend? I thought you said you didn't have one?" she replied.

"He's not and I don't. We dated a while ago, back when I lived in Forks with Charlie," I answered.

She looked confused at my slip of using Charlie's name, so I clarified, "Oh, sorry, Charlie is my dad."

She blinked and nodded for me to continue. "Anyway, Jake's the son of my dad's best friend and since they hung out together all the time, so did Jake and I. Eventually we decided to try out the whole dating thing."

"Who ended it?" She asked.

"I did. He just wasn't… _it_ for me. I didn't have the butterflies in my stomach for him." _Not like I do for Edward._

"So why'd he come over? Alice didn't mention you would be bringing anyone," she asked.

"It was completely unplanned, I had no clue that he was coming over. I'd called him earlier and he didn't pick up, but I left him a voicemail. I guess he never got it…" I trailed off.

"Yeah, seems so. But why are you crying? I can see if he's a really bad kisser, but the look on your face isn't one of disgust, it's more like sadness and grief."

_She was observant all right, pesky Barbie doll._

"After we left Alice's we came over here and I started yelling at him. He told me that he's still in love with me and I'm _the one_ for him. Twenty fucking years old and he is ready to settle down and shit. I'm older than him and _I'm_ not even close to being ready. I could understand it if he was my _one_, but he's not and I had to tell him that." I stopped so that I could take a breath and shake my head, the tears forming in my eyes once again.

"God, I've been telling him that for years and I guess this time I said it the right way for him to finally understand. I _don't_ want him, I want-" I cut myself off, taking shuddering breaths as my inner torment clouded over me. _Close call, Bella. Don't spill the beans on what you can't afford to get your heart's hopes up for._

"Yes? What is it that you want, Bella?" Rose asked softly, eagerly.

"I want something I can't have," I answered quietly.

A pregnant silence hung over us, our minds thinking about everything I did and didn't say.

Rose cleared her throat after a second and spoke again. "Don't worry about Alice, she's usually, 'the more the merrier' kind of person. She's just all kinds of shocked though. None of us have _ever_ seen Edward act like that," she stated while shaking her head.

"Like what? What happened?" I was so preoccupied with the domination of my mouth that I didn't know what had happened to him. I needed to know desperately.

"Well, Em and I were in the living room, talking with Jessica and Mike when — Jake, right? — Jake came in. We heard him talk to you for a minute and then molest you with his mouth. Disgusting form, by the way, he definitely needs to work on his approach. Next thing I knew, Edward was storming past us towards the kitchen and then barreled out through the front door with the bottle of tequila in his hand. He looked pissed off as fuck, jaw clenched and fists all balled up. We don't know where he went. He's not answering his phone or texting anyone back. Well, he wasn't while I was still there at least."

"Why?" I asked.

"All we can figure is that he wants to be alone," Rosalie replied, shrugging.

"No, I mean why did he react like that?" I snorted unattractively through my snot filled nose.

"Honestly, it's probably because of you," she said seriously as she glanced over at me.

"Me? What'd I do?"

"Oh, please. Like we haven't seen the two of you eye fucking each other every time you're both in the same room. Or the breathy way you say his name, or the way he shifts his legs whenever we're talking about you."

"What?! I do not say his name breathily. And we do not eye fuck each other," I bristled. _Granted, I'd like to personally, physically fuck him, but that's beside the point._

"You do too, and he flirts right back so don't get your panties in a twist. I say you should go after him. Okay, Em and I say you should. I haven't talked to Alice and Jazz about it yet, but I'm pretty sure they'd feel the same way."

I blanched.

_What on God's green Earth was she talking about? Have I been transported to an alternate universe?_

An errant thought crossed my mind, and I spoke it out loud. "Wait, you guys talk about me?"

"Definitely, you're one of us now. It's not like we're saying anything mean, it's always: 'I wonder what Bella's doing?' or 'When are we going to see Bella again?'. My favorite is, 'I can't wait to get Bella drunk, I bet she's loads of fun!'. See? We all like you and want you to be around us more," Rose said as she patted my hand.

I smiled at her, glad to have made a good friend in Rosalie.

"What do you mean by shifting his legs?" I asked slowly. This one slowed me down a little bit in the thought process department. _Do I make him want to run away? Do I make him itch?_

She looked at me like I was the stupidest person in the world. "Really, Bella? Has it been that long since you got laid? Don't tell me you're a virgin."

"Well, it's been- but what does- ohh." _Cue the light bulb… ding. Wow Bella, you're really smart tonight._

I blushed three different colors of red as I recalled the incident on Alice's move-in day. "Um, no. I don't think that'd happen because of me."

"Fine, don't believe me. But the next time you're around him, watch his body language. You'll see it for yourself," she said while smirking.

_Watch his body language? Wasn't I doing that already?_

"Now, you look like you need to call it a night, sweetheart. Your make-up's all smeary and you've got snot starting to leak from your nose. We'll be over tomorrow morning with your gifts and then we'll take you out to breakfast. Be up and awake by ten, hooker." She kissed me on the cheek and then stood up, walking to the front door before I could object.

"Hey, Rose," I called out from my seat on the couch.

She stopped with the front door propped open, one foot already outside, and turned back to me.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, flashing a genuine grin at her.

"Anytime," She said softly before closing the door.

I expected to be completely exhausted when Rosalie left, not the completely excited, practically vibrating person I was.

A million thoughts were running rampant through my mind, all of them focused on Edward.

_Was he okay?_

_What was going on with him?_

_Did I really give him a hard on just by thinking about me?_

The thought alone made a wave of arousal pass through my body and my girlie pink parts clench.

I needed something to calm me down, I was a jumbled mess and there was no way I could even try sleeping right now. In any which case, it was still early and I was not old enough to call it a night at eight thirty. Bolting up from my seat on the couch, I locked my door and jogged lightly to my room.

I was going to take care of my wet panty debacle. That would calm me down, I hope.

I slid my shoes off inside my closet. No more mishaps would be occurring tonight, nu-uh no way José.

I had the belt of my dress off in seconds and the dress whipped up and over my head in half the time.

I was fucking eager as hell.

I stood panting in my bra and underwear, debating if I should do it in the shower, or on my bed.

The possibility of running out of hot water sent me dashing to my bed, unhooking my bra as I sat down. I removed the clip from my hair, not wanting to gain a headache while I was supposed to be relaxing my body.

I rolled back and shimmied out of my panties before flinging them in God knows what direction. As my back settled onto the mattress, I pulled the hair out from under my body, getting more comfortable. Nothing ruined an orgasm like your hair impeding your head's movement.

Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths, willing my heart to flutter back to a somewhat normal rhythm. My hands drifted lazily over the tops of my breasts, drawing large circles around my already buzzing nipples.

I imagined Edward, God, it was difficult not to. His hands were my hands, drifting and caressing my skin like a symphony. Finally I reached up to one of my puckered peaks and pinched it lightly; pulling at the skin and making a shot of electricity run through my body. The moan caught in my throat was low and my back arched from it.

Edward's eyes were staring at me now, his emerald orbs dancing with amusement at my lack of control. His sexy smirk was back and I rubbed my thighs together to create some sort of friction.

A hand grazed my abdomen slowly, running fingers over my skin as I whimpered. I felt tingles spread throughout my body, every fine hair I had standing in attention away from my skin.

He'd become shirtless somehow, the toned musculature of his torso beckoning me with an alluring happy trail that led between the well defined "V" of his hips. I watched as one of his hands reached out towards me, his long fingers looking magical in the dim light.

My juices were running down the lower part of my pussy lips, I was so turned on. He dipped a finger inside of my core and slowly brought it up to my clit, pressing down lightly and swirling around it at the same time.

Oh Jesus, I'd just started and I was thisclose to being _there_ already.

I moaned shamelessly, arching against the bed and tossing my head back. Fingers moved faster against my bundles of nerves while another teased my heat; running circles around the outside of my lips in sweet torture.

"Please…" I whimpered to him.

His eyes flashed as he slowly inched a single finger inside of me. He pumped me slowly, trying to drive me insane with the warring sensations coursing through my body,

"Ugh! More… Edward… faster…" I panted.

A new fire blazed in his eyes at the mention of his name and he added another finger to my soaking core. His thrusts were becoming faster, harder against me as the rubbing of my clit went into overdrive. I was going haywire, my muscles fluttered in preparation as I saw his jaw clench in concentration.

"Cum for me," he said lowly in his smooth, velvet voice.

And by George, I did. Hearing and seeing his mouth form the word alone sent me over the edge as my orgasm claimed me. Stars burst into light behind my clenched eyelids, my body spasmed and bucked as wave after wave of bliss washed over me, intoxicating my senses with my own scent.

"Fuck…" was the only thing to come out of my mouth as I took in shuddering breaths and rubbed myself through it.

I withdrew my fingers from myself and gently placed them on my stomach. Hell, I'd be taking a shower in a few minutes anyways; I didn't mind the temporary mess.

Taking deep breaths, I let the euphoric endorphins wash over me, taking me away from the moment.

"Shit," I mumbled. That was, by far, the most intense orgasm I've ever had. I giggled like a little school girl who'd just gotten her first training bra.

As soon as I was sure my legs wouldn't give out on me, I got up from the bed.

I felt the smug ass grin on my face and couldn't find an excuse to make it go away. Chuckling to myself, I made my way into the bathroom, fanning myself with my hand. I'd worked up my body temperature a little.

Starting the faucet, I glanced at myself in the mirror. The happy, radiant glow from earlier had come back, settling beautifully on my face. My hair hung in loose curls over my shoulders, coming to a stop right above my nipples.

The water turned warm enough for my liking and I stepped into the spray, closing the curtain behind me. I quickly washed the products out of my locks, intent on not having "crunchy hair" from all of the hairspray Alice used on it.

As soon as I was thoroughly cleansed, I shut off the water. No dilly-dallying with the natural resources these days.

Wrapping myself up in a towel and running a comb through my hair, I slowly made my way through the apartment, my stomach grumbling loudly. No one would see me; I could walk around buck naked if I wanted to. Sadly, I was not in the mood to be parading my bare necessities around.

My nakedidity should only be used in extremely dire situations, i.e. if my apartment was on fire right at this moment and I had no chance to grab any clothes, or if I went completely insane. I would hope for option one before option two any day.

Humming softly to myself, I perused the contents of my kitchen. I hadn't eaten anything at Alice's, just some punch and half of the margarita she'd made me. _Hmm, yes, food sounds delicious… but what to stuff my face with?_

_Edward's cock sounds pretty delectable… or is that wishful thinking?_

I shook my head to clear away the lustful thoughts I was having. Post orgasm thinking wouldn't do me any good at the moment, all I really wanted was to get laid — at least that's what my lady bits were telling me.

Choosing a bunch of grapes from the counter — a girl's got to keep her antioxidants in check — I made my way to the back patio. No one could see me out here, Alice's apartment curved slightly away from mine and each of the building structures only had two dwellings per level. I leaned against the railing, eyeing the man made swamp the complex had thoughtfully built in order to be eco-friendly. I could faintly hear frogs croaking, crickets chirping and birds tweeting. Surrounded by rich hues of greens, browns and… copper?

_Wait, what is that… is that hair? Is that Edward sitting down there?_

Scrunching my eyes together, I tried to make out what he was exactly doing down there.

He was sitting on the gnarled wood corral, the half empty bottle of tequila and his suit jacket next to him. It looked like he was staring intently at the swamp, as if trying to convince it all to memory. Every so often he'd grab the bottle and take a swig from it, his head falling back and his eyes closing as the liquid went down his throat. I watched as his glorious Adam's Apple bobbed with each gulp.

_God he's beautiful._

_What in the world could he be thinking about?_

Removing the bottle from his lips, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set his elbows on his knees. He leaned forward with the bottle dangling loosely from his hand.

_It must be weighing heavily on him, whatever was on his mind._

I watched him until the night sky had started to descend upon us, dulling the vibrant colors of summer and turning them into a sea of sameness.

Finally, he sat up from his perch on the fence, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. I continued to stare at him, amazed by how well I could see his muscles moving underneath his shirt. I was entranced, the food in my hands completely forgotten, as I watched him slowly step down from his position. He ran a hand through his divine hair and slowly turned towards my building, his palm stopping on the top of his head.

I didn't expect what he did next.

He looked up.

It was like we were the only two people in the universe, time just stopped. Neither one of us moved, eyes locked onto each others forms.

Eventually, I cocked my head to the side, silently asking him… _God, what was I asking him? What's up? Are you okay? What do you need?_

_How can I help?_

He shook his head, the movement almost unintelligible in the approaching darkness, and looked down at the ground.

Before I knew it, he was walking away.

Dashing into the apartment, I wondered if he would be coming to me, or if he'd just go to Alice's. I couldn't hear any more music from her apartment, her party must have been either dying down, or over. My heart beat frantically in my chest, my breaths speeding up as my mind raced impossibly fast.

_Would he come to me? _

_Why would he come to me?_

_Please, Lord, let him come to me…_

I heard him on the stairs, slowly trudging up one step after another. Each sound made my anticipation level skyrocket another thousand feet higher than the last.

Seconds seemed like hours, a minute seemed like eons.

He was on the top landing, standing outside the door as I stood in my living room.

_Breathe, Bella._

I drew in ragged breaths as time ticked slowly by.

_Too long, it's been too long._

No more sounds came from the stairway.

No more footsteps were heard.

_He didn't choose to talk to me._

_He didn't want me._

_Oh._

I'd ruined any semblance of a friendship I had with Edward Cullen.

For what seemed like the millionth time that night, I cried.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

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I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

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Please leave a review!


	10. Sexual Attraction

Chapter 10: Sexual Attraction

XOXOXOXO

I felt an inexplicable pull towards the front door and, shuffling slowly, I leaned my head against it as my tears ran silent paths down my cheeks.

How could one evening make me feel so many different emotions? I had been tipsy — keyword being _had —_ angry, euphoric, and now sad. I was on a roller coaster of epic proportions and damn it, I wanted off.

No more.

No more pity party for Bella. I couldn't sit idly by and watch my life continue with only minor input from me any longer. I'd have to tell Edward that I had some major feelings for him. Fiancé be damned.

I inhaled a huge breath, letting it infiltrate the deepest parts of my lungs before letting it out slowly. I was giving myself my own inner pep talk, building myself up to do what needed to be done.

Now.

Before I chickened out and never did anything about it.

I wiped at the tear stains on my cheeks before grabbing the handle of the door.

_You can do this, Bella. You've got to do this._

Turning it and opening the door quickly, I was shocked at what awaited me.

Edward.

He was facing me, arms outstretched on both sides of the doorframe, his head hung down and back slightly bowed like he was stretching.

At the sudden movement of the door, he looked up sharply.

A gasp hung in the air around us; I wasn't sure which one of us had done it.

I clutched at my chest as I took in his appearance. His eyes flickered with emerald flames, rimmed with red as if he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep lately. A devious smirk played on his lips and my already rapidly beating heart sputtered uncontrollably in my rib cage.

It might have been wise to remember that I was clad only in a towel that barely covered my thighs, but I had other, more pressing, thoughts on my mind. Like, _what was he doing here?_ And _oh, good Lord, did he just check me out?_

"Do you mind if I come in, Bella?" he asked lowly.

I shivered.

Then, because I'm a total spaz, I nodded and ushered him inside.

He pushed off from the doorframe, his long legs coming forward as he stalked towards me with a glint in his eyes that sent my girlie parts gasping for the nearest thing to hold on to.

_Do not, I repeat, do not get too excited there, Bella. You don't want to have all your lady juices running down your legs. That'd be a little obvious and extremely embarrassing. I can just picture it now, 'No, Edward. See? This is just my water breaking. I've been secretly pregnant and now it's time for your completely delectable father to deliver my child. Sound good?'_

I blinked away my thoughts before I could get too engrossed and closed the door softly behind him.

"Uh, you ca-can just take a seat. I'm go-going to just, uh, change," I stuttered out.

He looked… disappointed... as I turned from him and headed into my room.

My mind went into freak out mode.

_What the fuck am I supposed to wear?! I mean, I could put on my pajamas, but currently those consisted of a crappy wife-beater and boxers. Why didn't I have anything cute to wear?_

I shook my inner fist at the Victoria's Secret god for not supplying me with adequate sexiness material.

Riffling through my drawers, I came up with a compromised solution. I wouldn't wear my P.J.'s in front of him, but I would wear a pair of shorts and a tank top. I'd just forgo the underwear, it was still warm enough to where I wouldn't have a serious problem of rock hard nipples and it meant I could get back to him that much quicker.

I shimmied into a pair of cargo shorts that actually came to the same hem length as the towel.

_Well, that's a plus. A little leg never hurt anybody. Hmm… except for me. Dear Lord, please don't let me make an ass out of myself in front of him. I just might crawl into a hole and die. Okay? Thanks. _

Pulling the towel from my body, I grabbed the white tank top I'd laid out on the bed. With my back to the bedroom doorframe, I pushed my arms through the designated holes and stopped as I felt a lone, warm object lightly run from the middle of my right shoulder blade down to my waistline. My hands instinctively pulled the garment to my chest, covering myself in a pure act of modesty while my eyes closed of their own accord and I gasped.

_Well, there goes the rock hard nipple theory._

It felt heavenly.

But where the fuck had it come from?

Not trusting myself to turn around completely, I looked over my shoulder. Standing a foot behind me, eyes focused on the trail of fire he'd left on my skin, was Edward.

_Jesus, did the man not know what he does to me? _

Before I could speak he brought his other hand up and did the same thing on my opposite shoulder.

I fucking shivered from that shit.

And moaned.

I almost sounded like a porn star. Go me.

Upon hearing my moan, his eyes flashed up to meet mine. Pure, unadulterated lust pooled in the green caverns of his soul.

I don't think I've ever been this turned on in my life and he was barely even touching me.

_God, do something else. Touch me._

He closed the gap between us, his strong muscled chest coming into contact with my overheated skin. I wanted to melt into him.

Gently putting force on my shoulders, he turned me to face him.

_Oh, Jesus. He smelled like Edward and… something else… Mexican food? Oh, that's right; he had the bottle of tequila. He's probably snockered out of his mind and thinks I'm Tanya or something. Though, I can't see how you could mistake the two of us. It'd be like comparing tuna to caviar._

His eyes still continued to burn at me, his fingers lightly digging into my shoulders as he stared into my eyes.

_When had I started panting?_

_And for that matter, when had he?_

Slowly, ever so slowly, his fingers drifted over my skin. He was half tickling me and half making me writhe in pleasure as they dipped lower and lower down my body. Coming to rest on my hips, he pulled me sharply into him.

I could feel the well defined outline of his cock through my thin shorts, hard and hot against me.

_Oh, honey was AROUSED. Earth to mission control: abort, I repeat, abort! Mayday, mayday! We have a situation on our hands!_

I nearly buckled at the sudden movement, my passion and mind at war with each other.

His hands held onto me, keeping me glued to him, as my back bent slightly backward. We were dancing with each other, each choreographed step coming closer to the final dip and presentation.

With one hand changing its position on my hip to circle around my waist, he brought the other one to cup my cheek. It seemed like we were doing this often today, goodness knows I loved it.

His breath fanned over my face, smelling strongly of José Cuervo. I'd get drunk just by breathing him in. Hell, even if he was completely sober, I'd still get drunk.

For the first time in this crazy lust ritual, one of us spoke.

"Bella…" _Oh, for the love of all that's Holy, say my name again!_

"Edward?" _Why did my voice have to be all wavery and shit? Could I not sound like a pre-pubescent, hormone raddled, kid for once?_

"You are the most… beautiful… creature I have ever seen," he breathed out.

_If I wasn't blushing already from heat exposure, I sure as shit was now._

"Th-thank you, Edward. You're, well, you probably already know this, but you're absolutely gorgeous." _Fuck! Did I really just tell him that I thought he was gorgeous?_

_Mental facepalm because I'm a loser._

He smirked at me, chuckling lightly and causing the most delicious movement against our lower halves.

I bit my lip to hold in my moan, and was surprised to hear him let one out.

"You are so fucking sexy when you do that," he growled.

My heart stopped and my breath caught.

_Holy freaking hell in a hand basket!_

_He just said fuck._

_And sexy._

_And he growled._

_How can I get him to do that again?_

_Repeatedly._

_Please._

"I-I don't know wh-what you're talking about," I stuttered out. _Really, why would he find my lip biting sexy? I've been doing it all my life and no one's ever mentioned it before._

"Don't sell yourself short, Bella. Everything you do, every move you make, gets me like _this_," he said while lightly thrusting his hips into mine for emphasis on the last word.

This time I let out my moan, and by the glorious hand of God, he growled again at me. I felt the sound travel through his chest, reverberating against my pulse and sending another shiver down my spine.

He moved his head closer to mine, veering off to the side so that his cheek was planted softly against my face. Inhaling the fragrance of my hair, he shuddered against me.

"And you smell so… mouthwatering. I think I just might have to taste you and see if the flavor's in one spot or all. Over. Your. Body."

_Oh, yes! Lick me, taste me, do whatever the fuck you want to me! Just make me feel good._

_I need to move my hands. I need to run my fingers through his amazing hair, or grip him tighter, or fuck, do something!_

"Edward?" I said slowly.

"Hmm?" was his reply against my ear.

"I need…" God this was going to be difficult.

"Yes, Bella? What do you need, love?"

I took a deep breath.

"I need to put on my shirt. And then we need to talk." _What?! NO! I was talking, yes, but the words coming out of my mouth are not the ones I want to say._

What I really wanted to say was, "The bed, the wall, or the floor?"

My conscious was getting the better of me though, telling me quietly that we did have things to talk about that were important.

_Like him being engaged to Tanya._

_Yeah, I'd say that would be a big thing to talk about._

His face fell, becoming quickly disappointed.

_Great, now he thinks I don't want him. Way to go, Bella._

Lifting one of my hands from my chest, I cupped his cheek. His eyes slid closed as he leaned into my touch.

"You feel… God, so good. So soft and warm," he said lazily.

My skin hummed in agreement.

"It'll be okay," was the only comforting thing I could say to reassure him.

I felt him nod and then turn from me, walking silently back into the living room.

Plopping down into a sitting position on my bed, I tried to calm down my rapidly beating heart. Damn man was going to be the death of me and there was nothing I could, or would, do to stop it. I was intoxicated by him.

Fucking morality.

If it wasn't for me being such a good person, I'd have jumped him. Easily, gladly.

I quickly stopped my internal mumblings. Currently they weren't doing anything good for me. Shaking my head at myself, I finally slipped the tank top over my head and pulled it down my chest. I winced when my pebbled nipples were rubbed against the fabric, making a mental note to cover my chest when I went back out there to talk to Edward.

Sighing, I decided that I'd stalled long enough and that it was now time to get the difficult conversation of Evil Queen Tanya out of the way.

To relieve some stress, I rolled my shoulders and tried to pop my neck.

Yeah, all that did was stretch out my muscles and instead of feeling better, I felt worse.

Groaning, I slowly got up from the bed. My still damp hair stuck grossly to my back, so I made a side-trip to the bathroom. The reflection staring back at me from the mirror did not look like me at all. My pupils were dilated, my skin flushed all over, my hair starting pouf around my head. Oh, I'd definitely be fixing the hair situation immediately.

I ran my brush through my hair once again, getting out any errant tangles that had accumulated since I'd been in the bathroom last, and threw it up into a pony-tail. I didn't have any special powers like Alice did when it came to making masterpieces out of hair, but I knew the essentials.

_All right, Bella. You can fucking do this! I mean, you can fuck him, and talk to him, but, shit. Jesus, just stop talking to yourself!_

I left the bathroom and slowly made my way towards the living room. Really? What other choice did I have? I wasn't going to just let Edward sit out there all by himself. I just didn't trust myself to get the right words out before I attacked him.

Oh Lord, how I wanted to attack him.

And molest him.

_And… okay, wrong train of thought._

I stopped and looked down at my crotch.

_Pussy, please stop talking. You're starting to scare the guests._

Shaking my head to get rid of the ridiculousness inside of it, I rounded the corner to find Edward.

His mop of copper hair was sticking out predominately against the cream color of the armrest of my couch.

He'd fallen asleep.

On the sofa.

Curled up into himself.

I couldn't help the smile that overcame me.

_Seriously?_

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing, or crying, or erupting into a screaming fit.

_God help him, he'll have blue balls in the morning._

I sniggered silently, and then I stopped dead as a realization hit me.

_Would he remember?_

_All of it, any of it, some of it, none of it. _

My heart sank sadly inside my chest, the overwhelming need to cry washed onto me like a rogue wave in the middle of the ocean.

Fucking hormones.

I closed my eyes as the tears once again pooled inside them.

_Breathe, Bella. _

_Settle yourself and then take charge of the situation._

_You can do this right._

I headed back into my room and grabbed an extra pillow from my bed. Then I walked towards the hallway closet. I knew I had a blanket somewhere around here. I just had to find the damn thing.

Riffling through each shelf, I found one that would hopefully cover his frame. What's the point in giving him a blanket if it wouldn't keep all of him warm?

Making my way back over to the couch I walked cautiously around the edge of it as to not disturb him and wake him up. I slowly unraveled the fabric and draped it over his sleeping form. Setting the pillow down on the floor, I untied his shoes and set them down on the floor near the end of the sofa. I guess I was kind of into the whole taking care of someone else bit. It made me feel important.

He looked so angelic, so peaceful. The cupid's bow of his top lip reminded me of a newborn baby. So soft and pink, just begging to be touched and caressed.

Hesitantly, I ran my hand across the top of his forehead, sweeping away the hair that obscured my perfect vision of him. His head moved, seeking out the comfort that I offered and I sat down on the floor beside him. He snuggled into my touch as I ran my fingers over his smooth skin, trying to memorize the exact contours of his beautiful face.

"Scooch down, love. I got you a pillow," I said softly, reverently, against his skin.

Somehow, miraculously, he heard me and shifted so that he was lying on his side on the entirety of the cushions.

"Now, lift your head," I added after he'd gotten comfortable.

As he moved, I quickly slid the pillow underneath his head. Gently, I pushed his face down until it came into contact with the fluffy object.

He smiled and 'hmmed', burrowing into it and inhaling deeply. Then I understood. The pillow smelled like me. A small smile played on my lips again as my heart felt incredibly warm. I returned to stroking the contours of his face.

After I was sure that he was completely passed out — which could have been minutes or hours, I didn't know, I'd been drinking him in the entire time — I carefully got up from the floor.

Everyone else was worried about him, I needed to at least let someone know that he was all right and was currently sleeping on my couch. As quietly as I could, I opened the front door and padded across the way to Alice's apartment.

I knocked lightly; goodness knows I didn't want to interrupt anything.

I smiled as Emmett answered.

"Hey Bellsy! What's shakin'?" he grinned lazily.

_Get the man some alcohol and he comes up with a pretty good nick-name. Figures._

"I found Edward," I announced happily.

"No shit. Where's the doofus?" he replied eagerly.

"He's sleeping on my couch."

"Oh. Well, did you want me to get him from your place? Or do you not mind if he stays over?" Emmett said with a knowing look and a gleam in his eye.

I groaned at him, "Emmy, I swear, there's nothing going on between Edward and me! He's got Tanya for fuck's sake."

He thought for a moment. "Well, I'm pretty sure that he could fuck Tanya whenever he wanted, but that still doesn't change the fact that he wants _you_."

_Didn't I just go over this with Rosalie?_

I shook my head and gave up on the conversation. "Nah, he can stay at my place. I don't mind. Actually, did he leave a bag or anything over here? I can bring it to him that way he won't freak out in the morning or something."

He nodded and left me standing there awkwardly. Then I remembered Rock Hard Nipples of '09 and crossed my arms over my chest. I liked Emmett, but he didn't need to see the girls on display.

He returned a minute later, a small black duffle bag in his hand and a smile on his lips.

"Here, Bella. Everyone's glad that Edward's been found, we were worrying about him. They'd come out and talk to you, but Ali's owning _Grand Theft Auto_ and refuses to let anyone destroy her 'zone'. But Rosalie said to watch him, whatever that means," he said as he handed me the bag.

I took it from him slowly. "I'm glad I could be of assistance," I said truthfully.

Really, I'd been worried about Edward too.

"And Alice says to remind you about breakfast tomorrow."

I giggled. _Alice and her damn get togethers._

"Thanks Em, I'll see you bright and early."

"Yes ma'am," he agreed as he gave me a goodbye hug.

Turning around quickly, I made my way back to my apartment. I set Edward's bag on the floor next to his shoes and stared at it for a minute.

_What did he have in there?_

_Hmm… cologne, toothpaste, clothes… underwear? _

_Oh shit, I could find out if he's a boxer or brief kind of guy! _

_No, Bella! Bad, bad Bella!_

Changing the direction of my thoughts, I decided to write him a note to explain that Alice wanted us to go to breakfast the next morning.

Hell I didn't know if he'd be able to read it, but still, the thought was there.

Pivoting on my heel and returning to my bedroom, I grabbed my notebook and tore out a random sheet of paper.

I scribbled out a note to him, only mentioning Alice and breakfast tomorrow, and set it on his bag.

I hoped he would join us.

Passing by the front door and checking that it was secured, I went into my room and changed into my P.J.'s. I glanced at my clock on the nightstand.

Jesus! Ever since I'd, well, _taken care of business_, earlier, time had flown by! Now it was an acceptable time for bed.

I went through my nightly routine, all the while thinking about Edward and the fact that he was in my apartment, sleeping on my couch.

_Should I go check on him before I go to sleep?_

_Should I get him a glass of water?_

_What if he throws up?_

_What if he has to pee?_

There were just too many fucking variables. Yeah, that's right. I used a ten-cent-fucking word. Get over it.

_He's a smart guy, Bella. He'll probably think he ended up back at Alice's and he sure as shit knows the layout of her place. Same thing here. Relax._

With my mind now semi at ease, I focused on what I should do next. Yes, I was tired from the day's activities, but I had this weird energy coursing through my veins at the same time.

While things were still fresh in my mind, I decided to write once again in my notebook.

What could it hurt?

Grabbing it back up from my nightstand, I opened it up to the next blank page.

_PG kissed me today, of all days. It's my fucking birthday. I should have a say as to what does or does not happen to my body. I would've much rather it have been with MD, but seeing as he's currently unavailable, I won't make too much of a fuss. Oh Lord, who am I kidding? I bitched PG out like he didn't have a single ounce of common sense in his head. And I know that he's smarter than that! He said I'd grow to love him. Really? He makes it sound like I've been promised into an arranged marriage. Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I want love. I want love to attract me to someone and love to make a connection with that person. I want the falling head over heels version where all I can think about is that person and what they're doing at that exact moment. Obsession? Stalking? No. _

_It's the way I feel towards MD sometimes. Whenever he's around, I can't stop thinking about him. He's all I can concentrate on. I can't help it! He just… captivates me. _

_He disappeared after PG kissed me. I didn't have a chance to explain that it wasn't anything. Then, an hour or so later, he shows up at my apartment a little intoxicated._

_The most, arousing thing happened next. He walked in on me changing and did this thing with his finger. It was like he was barely touching me, but hot damn, I thought I'd combust from the sensation alone. He said some things, and I pray to God that I'll never forget the way his voice sounded. It was deep and gravely and… needy. He thrust his erection against me and I acted like a completely random animal in heat! Not once in my entire life have I ever, EVER, felt like that. Then when I shooed him out of the room so I could finish changing, I found him passed out on my couch._

_Jesus, what kind of position have I gotten myself into?_

_I'm in the first stages of love with a stranger._

_Is it to late to turn into a lesbian? _

_No, I think I like the cock too much._

Throwing my pen and notebook back onto the nightstand, I growled under my breath.

Boys were just so fucking difficult to understand!

With Edward in the apartment I would most likely be tossing and turning in my bed. Sleep would only happen upon me for an hour or so, and then I'd wake up and go check on him.

That's me, the overly worrisome thinker.

And it happened just as I thought it would.

After my growling episode, I turned off the side lamp and attempted sleep. Two hours later, I woke up from a very weird, yet equally hilarious, dream.

Everyone from the party was standing in front of my apartment building, talking about something or other, when Jake walked up and randomly started dancing with Rosalie. She looked absolutely disgusted and Emmett pushed him off of her. She called him an absolute dog and flipped him off.

Then, suddenly, Jake had taken a shit on the sidewalk and a nice, enthusiastic, blonde girl named Ellie picked it up and threw it at Tanya's face. It had perfect landing and actually ran down the front of her clothing after making a sickening plopping sound.

Ellie said, "That's right, skank! You've just been pooed! Better get used to that shit because it ain't over yet!"

Then after turning to Jake she added, "You're a perverted jerkface. Don't be sending anymore nasty-ass pictures of your schlong to my baby girl, B. I'ma bust your ass."

After that she ran in the opposite direction screaming something about potatoes.

Tanya's outraged scream was what had woken me up.

How I knew the girl's name or where she came from, I have no idea because I've never seen her before in my life, but I woke up laughing hysterically with tears running down my face.

I covered my mouth with my hand while I rolled over and buried my face in the pillow.

Oh Lordy Jeebus fuckity.

Where did my mind come up with these things?

Calming down a little bit, I decided to check on Edward. Padding silently into the living room with a small, neon purple colored flashlight with a dim bulb I kept in my nightstand, I stopped a few feet away from him. I listened for his breathing. If I was sure that he was still alive, then all was well with the universe.

His light snoring brought a grin to my face, and I wished I had some sort of recording device for future blackmail.

Satisfied with my findings, I returned back to my bed to hopefully get more than a couple hours' of sleep.

I did get more than two hour's sleep that last time, but only just. I made it to three hours later before another weird dream plagued my thoughts.

This time the only thing I remember was reaching out to help an Asian woman from falling.

Huh… was it Jen?

I shook the uneasiness from my mind. I just needed some crackers or something in my stomach; I hadn't eaten anything substantial since Alice's party and I was due for some carbohydrates. Maybe then I wouldn't be having such peculiar dreams.

Climbing out of bed once again, I grabbed the flashlight and made my way into the kitchen. I tried my hardest to keep the noise level down. My only objective was a package of Saltine's in one of the cupboards.

Apparently the crackers had a different plan, because as soon as I grabbed the package, the plastic wrapping crinkled and crunched like I'd found an errant piece of bubble-wrap lying around and had decided to tap dance on it.

Fantastic.

I hope I didn't wake Edward up.

I slowly made my way out of the kitchen and started passing by Edward's form on the couch.

"You know you're extremely loud when you're trying to be quiet?"

"Jesus, fuck!" I yelped. The package of crackers flew from me as my hands came up to clutch at my face and chest.

"Please don't scream," he added calmly.

"Oh, Edward! I'm so sorry. I was trying not to wake you and then the stupid Saltine's have a trademark for loud wrappings and… I'm giving you a headache, aren't I?" I whispered.

"A little bit. Too much talking this early in the morning," he said as he sat up slowly and shifted into a regular sitting position, leaning back on the couch.

"Did you want some aspirin?" I offered. Yes, I was being a hostess. And no, not the cupcake.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you," he agreed.

I did an about face and headed back into the kitchen. Grabbing a brand new water-bottle, and the container of aspirin from the first aid kit I kept in the kitchen, I went back to Edward.

"Here, these should help. Plus some more sleep. It's like, five a.m." I said as I handed each of the objects off to him.

He took them both gratefully. I felt awkward standing there, but honestly he hadn't given me any indication to leave yet and hell, we still needed to talk.

After washing down a couple of the aspirin, he sighed and leaned forward. Dropping an elbow to his knee, he bent down and raked his fingers over his face while the other arm draped in between his legs.

"Bella, what happened last night?" he asked, voice muffled.

My heart fell as my mind leaped to my first, original worry.

With my voice wavering slightly, I responded, "You don't remember… anything?"

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

www(dot)gigglesnortawards(dot)mmmboptastic(dot)com(backslash)nominate(dot)php

I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

www(dot)ThefandomGivesBack(dot)com

Please leave a review!


	11. Lost And Found

Chapter 11: Lost and Found

XOXOXOXO

"I remember some things, but not everything, no," Edward said slowly.

I plopped down into the other available seat on the couch, my weight bouncing me back up again before settling me back down firmly. I was afraid that if I sat too close to him, I wouldn't be able to help my hormone riddled body from committing a very, very dangerous activity that had been denied last night.

"Oh, no sudden movements, please. At least, not until the aspirins have kicked in," he moaned while clutching his head.

I cringed in sympathy for him and replied, "Sorry. I'll try to be still."

"What, er, what do you remember, exactly?" I continued hesitantly, trying in vain to ignore the subtle flow of electricity between us.

I held on to my flashlight in the darkness, using it for some sort of comfort for my frazzled nerves. The light illuminated the living room, making it glow slightly so that we could make out the shapes of things close to us.

_Bella + little to no sleep = cranky and on edge Bella. It was simple math, really._

I dimly saw him turn to face me on the couch as he answered, "Not too much. I remember the party, Alice and yourself opening presents. I vaguely recall my toast to you, then that gu-I guess that's it."

I knew better. He'd almost given himself away, but was trying to hide it from me. Was he jealous? My heart did a little jig in my chest at the thought.

Clearing my throat, I decided to be straightforward. Screw creeping around the edges any longer.

"You were going to say 'that guy'. You remember him, don't you?"

The silence was palpable.

"Edward, its not-"

"Bella, it's none-" we both began at the same time, stopping when we'd heard the other speaking as well. He motioned for me to go first.

"Last night wasn't what it looked like, Edward. I didn't even know Jake was coming over, otherwise things would've been handled differently."

"So… he's a part of your life?" he asked.

I sighed dejectedly. I still wanted Jake to be my friend. I just didn't know how he'd respond to me after the way I'd treated him earlier.

"Yes, he's a part of my life. But he's only a friend; I've known the kid for forever," I snorted. Random images from the past invaded my mind unwillingly. Pictures of the two of us acting like kids assailed my senses and my broken heart ached to have that camaraderie back.

"Does he usually greet you so… enthusiastically?" I heard the wince in his voice.

"No, Edward. That's never happened before," I whispered back.

I felt ashamed that Jake had molested me in front of so many people and that there was nothing I could've done to stop him.

"Oh," he said lightly.

"Oh?" I repeated.

He chuckled, "Yeah. I thought- well really I think everyone thought that he was- you know, your boyfriend."

My cheeks reddened.

"He was," I admitted.

"Was?" Edward asked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

"A long time ago," I answered.

A loaded silence filled the space between us.

_Should I bring up the dry-humping we did last night? Does he remember that too and just doesn't want to talk about it because he's ashamed and just wants to forget it ever happened?_

It was a minute or two before my stomach grumbled loudly, reminding me of the original reason I had left my bedroom.

I giggled, somewhat humiliated by my body's show of weakness.

Edward laughed with me, making me feel a little less awkward. "Where's your bathroom?" he asked a second later.

"Oh, it's to the left of here, just follow the hallway and it'll take you right to it," I explained while moving my hands around in the semi-darkness.

I saw and felt his shape leave the couch. Seconds later I heard the bathroom door close and looked down at my stomach.

_You couldn't last another minute or two, could you?_

Waving the light from the flashlight onto the floor, I tried to look for the Saltine's I'd thrown when Edward sneak-attacked me.

Scrambling up from my seat on the couch, I searched the floor towards the kitchen.

_How come when I try to be good at throwing something, I completely miss and end up throwing it a few feet away, but when I'm unintentionally throwing something I can get some distance on the fucker?_

"Here cracker, cracker, crackers. Come to mommy. You're gonna be yummies in my tummies when I find youuu." I crooned softly while searching.

_Maybe they landed underneath the desk. _

The antique writing desk my father had especially bought for me on my move-in day was situated in a far off corner of the living room right before it turned into the dining room. I tried not to have too many things on it at one time. The wood was old and I wasn't sure how long it would hold up with some of today's technologies weighing a pretty hefty sum.

Rolling the desk chair out of the way, I crawled on my hands and knees under the desk and flashed the light in all directions.

_Damn, no crackers._

I hmphed and began crawling out from under the desk when I heard a throat clearing behind me.

I instantly stilled my body as humiliation settled into my bones.

_Oh, for the love of St. Petersburg! Of all the positions he could've found me in, it had to be this one!_

I was pretty sure my ass was sticking up in the air, thrusting about while I'd been sweeping the flashlight over the carpet for my crackers.

_Why am I suddenly turned on?_

_Oh, not good. Not good at all._

Silently giving up, I dropped my head to the floor to rest on my arms.

_Maybe if I'm really quiet he'll forget I'm here._

"Do you, ah, need any help, Bella?" his low voice asked from behind me.

_Drat. Fooled again by my arch-nemesis, Mr. SexyPants!_

I chuckled, my entire body shaking with laughter.

_Oh great, my ass is on display and moving around like its having its own seizure or something. _

"For my sanity, please stop doing that." I heard him mumble.

I instantly stopped and sobered up. Slowly lifting my head and turning it to the side so I could see his profile, I bit my lip.

I heard his groan and _my_ boxers suddenly became way too tight for my nether regions.

"I'm sorry, Edward. Did you say something?" I asked coyly to try and ease the tension.

"I asked if you needed any help. Er, getting off the floor, I mean," he replied, his voice still low.

_I'd like a little help with my boxers being so stifling, but somehow I don't think that would help me get off of the floor._

"Um, since you're offering, sure," I answered hesitantly.

I rocked back onto my knees while keeping my head low as to avoid hitting the desk. Edward reached for my hand as I offered it and I had to bite back my chuckle as to what happened the last time one of us was helping the other one up from the floor.

_Not that I wouldn't mind a repeat performance._

I tried to ignore the thrum of electricity that always seemed to flow between us as our hands connected. Really, truly, I did.

The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about them. "Do you feel that?"

Even in the dim light, I could tell his eyes were smoldering at me.

"Feel what?" he replied slowly.

_Oh, so I'm a retard. I feel imaginary things that he obviously doesn't feel._

_Go me._

"Uh, never mind. Just forget I said anything," I mumbled as he tugged me up.

He had more finesse than I did apparently. He used just enough force to pull me up from the ground but not too much to bring me colliding into his chest.

_Damn._

_Okay Bella, time for the self-preservation act. Back away slowly and you won't get hurt._

Letting go of his hand as if he'd burned me, I stepped away and began my hasty escape. "I'll just let you get some sleep. It'll make your head feel better. Oh, and before I forget, Alice wants to have breakfast at ten. At least that's what time she said to be ready."

_I feel like a complete idiot._

_Why did I have to say that?_

"Oh… all right then," he said, sounding dejected.

I didn't know what else to say. I mean, "Sorry I sound like a complete lunatic" can only work so many times before it's life as an excuse runs out.

For the first time I've ever been in the apartment, I wished to high Heaven that I had a bedroom door.

I laid down silently on my bed, bringing both of my hands around the back of my head to cradle it.

_Nice move, Bella. Now what will he think?_

_Oh gee, let's imagine it. I wake up in the morning, go out into the living room to say hello to Edward and he won't talk to me. He'll avoid me like the black plague and I'll feel like I've got dried drool stuck to my cheek._

My stomach twisted into knots. I was giving myself an ulcer from over thinking and I needed to stop before I was violently sick in the toilet.

_You've thrown up once already today, Bella. Let's not go for a second time, 'kay?_

Removing my hands from under my head, I sluggishly ran them over my face to physically try to scrub the thoughts from my head.

_You just need to sleep. Get this day out of your system. Tomorrow you can apologize for your behavior to Edward and all will be right between us. Although, what do I apologize for exactly?_

I rolled over onto my side facing the doorway and tried to go back to sleep. The images of Edward pressing up against me earlier assaulted my senses.

_Jesus, it felt so… good._

I felt so right and completely entranced. I imagined myself wrapped in his arms again, pretending a warm cocoon engulfed me and humming my bones into surrender.

It was a short while before I fell asleep.

The next thing I know, an incessant knocking on my front door brought me out of my peaceful slumber and I was ready to kill someone.

Blearily rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I went to answer the door, fully unaware of the chaotic haystack that was my hair.

"Bella! Its 9:59 and you're… hair is a mess. What the hell happened to it?" Alice said loudly.

I grunted at her, somehow ushering her into the apartment before heading back towards my room.

My eyes were burning.

"Honey, use your grown up words, okay?" Alice said softly. I turned around and took in her appearance for the first time. The damn woman should've been confined to a tennis court with the outfit she had on. For some God-awful reason, she wore a very bright yellow polo shirt and white khaki's with a matching pair of white Keds.

I wanted to punch her in the face for being so chipper and country-club-esque.

"Where's Edward?" she asked.

I stopped mid stride, causing Alice to collide with my back from her not paying attention.

"What?" I said clearly.

"Where's Edward?" she repeated.

I slowly turned around, my eyes suddenly wide with fear.

_Of course he left. There's no reason for him to stay, you nitwit._

"He's not on the couch?" I asked slowly.

"No. Should he be?" she asked with alarm in her voice.

"That's the last place I saw him," I replied calmly.

_Great. You fall asleep for a little while Bella and you lose the guy you want to seriously bone. Fantastic._

"Maybe he's in the bathroom?"

"Uh, unless he's a ninja master, I don't think so." _Shit, I'm not that dumb to not have noticed him passing by me a minute ago._

Alice giggled as she turned away from me and walked back towards the living room.

"He's a grown man; he couldn't have gone too far. Maybe he didn't want to come to breakfast. You did tell him about this morning, didn't you?" she accused as she spun quickly on her heel to point a finger at me.

I held my hands up in front of me in defense. "Easy there, Tink. I did tell him about you wanting to go to breakfast. Actually it was a couple of hours ago."

Her raised eyebrow was the only response I got back.

"What?! I was hungry and accidentally woke him up. It's not like I tackled him on the couch just to tell him that you demanded us to go to breakfast," I defended.

As soon as we reached the couch, I noticed that the blanket had been folded nicely and laid on top of the pillow. Edward's small duffle bag, shoes, and the note I'd written for him last night had all disappeared.

I sighed, "I don't know what to tell you, Alice. It seems that Edward had other things to do this morning."

I turned from the couch just in time to see her face fall slightly. Before I knew it, her happy, beaming mask had been put back into place.

"Oh well, more pancakes for us then! Come on, lazy bones, everyone's waiting," she rambled as she started pulling me towards my bedroom.

I trailed along after her, disappointed myself that Edward wouldn't be having breakfast with us. I knew I'd completely fucked up earlier. The fact that he just left without saying goodbye was my first clue.

"Now, we're all going completely comfy so hurry up in the bathroom while I pick out your clothes. Multi-tasking, Bella, that's where the key is," she said while patting my ass towards the washroom.

"Comfy?! You say to go comfy while you look like you're ready to spend the day at the club, Alice! I'll show you what my comfy is. Here, take a look," I said while grabbing a pile of clothes I'd left on my counter the day before.

"A pair of ratty sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt is what you call comfy? Bella, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she exclaimed while taking them from my hand and separating them for her inspection.

"This is what I wear when I want to feel comfy. Now, would you like to rephrase your wording earlier? Maybe just say, 'dress casual' instead?" I snarked while grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste from the counter.

I registered her sigh as I turned the tap on, wetting my toothbrush in the sink.

"All right, I give. Dress casual, Bella. Now, hurry up! We don't have time to dawdle around. I'm rummaging through your closet, by the way." I heard her call from my bedroom.

"Mff eye 'ind oo 'dew anyfing 'if mah codes, ime 'urt oo."

"What the hell did you just say?" Alice said as she poked her head around the bathroom doorframe.

I took the toothbrush out of my mouth, "I said: "If I find you did anything with my clothes, I'ma hurt you.""

She chuckled and backed out of the frame, leaving me standing there with my toothbrush poised at my mouth. "Alice, I'm being serious."

"Oh, I know you are, Bella. But still, you'd have to find the clothes missing first. And honestly, a lot of things in here don't deserve to be."

"I need clothes for work, sweets."

"You'll still have those, just a little less of them."

I growled, "Alice… back away from the closet."

"But Bella, see? I already picked out your clothes! And they look nice," she added indignantly.

I rolled my eyes before returning to the sink to spit.

I looked up into the mirror just in time to see her flop onto my bed. "So when are you going to tell me about that guy last night?"

_I figured Rosalie would've explained. Well, at least she wasn't a gossip-hound._

_That was a plus._

I wiped my mouth on a nearby towel before answering her, "Jake's just a friend, Alice. What happened last night was a misunderstanding and believe me, it's not going to happen again."

"So he's not your boyfriend or anything."

_Jesus, didn't they believe me?_

"No, he's not. He was, but not anymore." Fact was I didn't even know if Jake still wanted to be my friend.

That part stung.

Alice jumped up from the bed. "All right. That's all I needed to hear. Now hurry up, Emmett's especially starved this morning."

She snickered as she passed me, "He lost big time last night while we were playing video games."

As soon as she had scampered clear of my room, I grabbed the clothes she'd laid out on the bed for me.

Loose jeans and a bright, colorful tie-dye tank top awaited me, great. I dressed quickly, not wanting to make anyone wait especially long.

And if Emmett was as hungry as I was, I didn't want the irritable grizzly inside of him to find me for breakfast instead.

Something told me that Emmett irritated would be pretty bad.

I did a run through of my apartment, hoping to find Edward somewhere in its depths. I was disappointed when I walked through every room and found nothing alluding to his presence.

I grabbed my wallet and keys, then opened the door and closed it firmly behind me and locking it.

I was greeted by the group, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice, all waiting for me on the stairs.

"Morning," I said sheepishly.

All I got in reply was garbled grunts except for Alice's giggle.

"So what's the driving situation?" Rosalie asked from Emmett's lap.

"Let's head down first, before we talk about that, sweetheart," Jasper said from beside her as he started standing up.

We all shuffled down the stairs slowly, none of us caffeinated enough to talk to each other nicely quite yet.

Nearing the bottom flight of stairs, I broke the silence.

"Well, my truck can only fit about three people in it tops. So if you want to split up, that's fine."

I'd just landed on the bottom step when I heard a voice in front of me.

"Or we could take my Volvo."

My head snapped up at the sound of Edward's voice.

He came back.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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	12. A Kink In The Plans

Chapter 12: A Kink In The Plans

XOXOXOXO

He came back.

He came _back_.

He came the fuck back.

Why was my heart having palpitations?

I could hear my heart thudding inside my chest, my ears becoming hot from the sudden rush of blood through my veins.

He looked wonderful, exhilarated and refreshed. Maybe he'd taken a shower or something. Preppy and laid-back in a button-up blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dark washed jeans was his style for the day.

He made me feel extremely underdressed. At least everyone else, save Alice, looked slummier than the two perfectionists that were the Pixie and the God.

Rosalie almost matched me, wearing slim jeans and a tank top that dipped low enough to show cleavage, but not enough for her to lean over and lose a tit.

Emmett and Jasper also wore jeans, but wore different shirts. Emmett's clung to him like a second skin, dark grey and bulgy. Jasper's was brown and only showed off the slant of his chest, which was pretty buff too.

I could faintly hear everyone welcoming him, their voices a weak buzzing in my head.

I was thrilled that he was okay, really I was. But I couldn't help what happened next.

He stood a foot or two ahead of me, a devilish grin on his face that made my panties dissolve instantly. I halted on the stair, one more step from becoming equal with him and the others on the ground.

I had no control over my body as I took the last step, finally standing right in front of him. He smiled down at me radiantly, the slight difference in our height not too much of a bother for either one of us.

"Good morning, Bella," he said as his cool breath blew across my cheeks.

I smiled back at him. "Edward," I replied evenly.

_WHACK!_

I smacked him across the shoulder with all of my might in a sudden movement that even surprised me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I screamed.

The look of excitement vanished from his face as one of bewilderment replaced it.

"I, uh-"

"That's right, 'I, uh-'. Edward, you disappeared! No note, no explanation of any sort! For all I knew you'd been kidnapped or something!" I said angrily. He didn't know what he'd put me through when Alice had asked where he was.

I heard Alice and Rosalie sniggering, Emmett barking out laughter and Jasper coughing erratically into his hand.

I poked my finger in his chest with each word I spoke. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again. Understand?" I growled.

Straightening up, I started to walk past him confidently. That is, until he grabbed me around the upper arm and pulled me back into his chest.

Leaning down, he replied, "Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't know my leaving would upset you so much." Switching his gaze between each of my eyes, he continued, "I won't do it again."

I felt my anger disappear immediately, the emotion once giving my body its confidence now made me slump down in exhaustion.

Leaning against him I whispered, "You promise?"

I felt his other arm come around my waist, squeezing me to him momentarily. My body registered the nod of his head and I let out a small sigh.

"If Edward's driving, I call back seat!" Emmett yelled breaking up the eerily romantic moment Edward and I were sharing.

I chuckled half-heartedly as the rest of the group started moving towards the parking lot. Breaking away from Edward's embrace, I made to follow after the slowly moving group. Edward's hand delicately traveled down the length of my arm as I pulled myself from him, and it was only when it made contact with my own hand and squeezed sharply did I stop.

I turned back to him, confusion plain on my face. Holding my hand tenderly in his, he closed the distance between us and brought his other hand up to cup my cheek. His green eyes were liquid fire and set my body aflame from their intensity.

Sincerity clearly etched on his face, he said softly, "I'm truly sorry for making you worry this morning."

I closed my eyes slowly so that I wouldn't succumb to the overwhelming need to throw myself at him. It was only ten in the morning and already I needed a time-out. I felt him lean towards me and my heart rate picked up exponentially.

_Oh, Lord. Please don't screw this up, Bella. Let him do what he needs to do. No mixed signals this time._

I felt his breath on my face, the delicious fragrance filling my senses.

So soft that I was unsure I felt it, his two lips pressed gently against my cheek. The electrical current that was always present between the two of us flared, zapping at my skin. There was no mistaking he felt it this time; we both gasped. His hand, which was still holding mine, clutched my fingers quickly at the sensation.

My eyes flashed open, my body coming alive, every nerve ending on fire. I wanted to pull him closer to me, I wanted him to consume me, for us to complete each other in a passionate exchange that combusted our souls.

He pulled his head back sharply, his eyes quickly searching my face for what, I didn't know. The grip of his hand on my own dropped as he brought it up to cup my other cheek. Calculating each movement I made, I brought my hands up to rest lightly on his chest. Our breathing had sped up, both of us thrown into our own world where nothing else existed except for the other person which we were so desperately clinging to.

His eyes, burning into my soul, focused on my lips. On instinct, I licked them and saw something flash across his face in response.

I was dreaming. I saw his face drift closer and closer to mine. Each agonizing second played in slow motion until I felt his warm breath on the skin of my mouth. My lips were buzzing as my eyes slid slowly closed.

The soft, warm skin of his lips met mine and it took all I had not to explode or pass out from the sheer bliss I felt.

My skin hummed, my body felt electrified while my mind went completely blank.

All I could do was feel.

It. Felt. Wonderful.

Both of his thumbs caressed the apples of my cheeks, soothing and entrancing me into a hypnotic state while his lips continued to press softly against mine.

"Edward, where'd you- ooohhh!" I heard Alice squeal.

Startled, my eyes popped open as Edward and I broke apart. His hands dropped from my face as I self-consciously bit my lip and looked down at the ground. My face burned with the color of embarrassment.

Edward cleared his throat, "We're coming Alice."

I heard her clap her hands excitedly and then prance off in the opposite direction.

"Bella, that was… incredible."

_Yeah, tell me about it._

_But when will I get back the feeling in my lips?_

_Okay, scratch that. When will I be able to move my lips again?_

I was trying with all my might to come up with some sort of response.

_Oh hells yes that was incredible._

_But oh hells no that it should have happened in the first place._

_The man is engaged, Bella!_

_When did you turn into Floozy McHussydrawers?_

_You don't go around letting engaged men kiss you. Hell, you don't go around letting single men kiss you!_

_You need to think, Bella. You need _– my stomach gurgled –_ food. Apparently you need food._

_Nod at the pretty boy in front of you and then walk towards his car. Everyone talking in it will help you think for a little bit._

Raising my eyes up to meet his face, I nodded my head once and then slowly turned from him. I couldn't look into his eyes, otherwise I'd become subject to my inner desires.

"Food, we need food." Were the only words able to come out of my mouth.

I sounded hollow, empty, defeated.

How can one person feel this good, but so wrong in the same instant?

I walked slowly, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened. One minute I'm smacking Edward for scaring the bejeebus out of me and the next, we're kissing.

Somehow point A never got to point B that way.

I saw the group waiting near a silver station-wagon-looking-thing. I was never any good with the names of cars, so I'd only find out what it was when I got close enough to read the back bumper. I remember Edward called it something, but honestly everything that had just happened within the past ten minutes or so had gone straight out the window.

I heard Edward behind me, jogging to close the small distance I'd set between us. Without thinking, I sped up. How could I talk to him when I couldn't even think myself?

Sensing Edward's growl of annoyance behind me, I continued on ahead as if I hadn't heard him. Really, the conversation of, 'You're engaged and this can't happen' made me feel sick. It shouldn't have even happened in the first place.

But oh, how I wished it would happen again.

I made it to the car before he could catch up with me. Slightly out of breath, I put a hand on my side to placate the stitch that had formed.

"I-" -gasp- "call-" -gasp- "back seat with-" -gasp- "Emmett…" I panted out between gasping breaths.

Emmett clapped me on the back and I flew forward, catching myself on the bumper and coughing a little bit to try to regulate my breathing.

"Bellsy, I didn't know you cared!" he boomed.

_Well, at least he remembered last night._

Edward strolled past me, his breathing labored but he was no worse for the wear like I was. He unlocked the door and got into the driver's seat, hitting the button to unlock all of the other doors. Now that I was familiar with the bumper I could tell which kind of car it was; a Volvo.

Each of us climbed in to the seats, Emmett and I taking the back, Alice and Rosalie taking the middle, and Jasper taking shot-gun.

"I thought we could go to this quaint little diner down the road from here. I've passed by it a few times on my way to classes but haven't had the chance to stop in and try out the food yet. Bella, do you know if the Hangar Inn is any good?" Alice chirped from in front of me.

"Er, yeah. It's all right," I answered slowly.

Truthfully I'd only eaten there once.

"Okay Edward, just exit the complex and take a left. Head towards campus and it'll be on the left a little ways away," Alice instructed.

Edward nodded and started the car, slowly reversing out of the parking spot and then beginning our journey to breakfast.

The car ride was filled with talking, while both Edward and I stayed silent in our positions. In the back seat I was on the passenger side, and I knew that he could see me in his rearview mirror. Childishly I looked away from him, choosing instead to stare out the window at the passing by Seattle scenery.

"So what'd you guys do last night?" Emmett asked from beside me.

I snapped out of my intense focus of the window siding.

"Uh, sleep. He passed out on my couch and I left him alone." I narrowed my eyes at him. "What'd you guys do last night?"

"Oh, played Grand Theft Auto, drank some more, then rehashed last night's festivities," he said smugly.

If he brought up the Jake thing, I'd punch him.

"It seems like you had quite a-"

"Emmett, enough," Edward growled from the front.

I glanced at him gratefully, the first time since our kiss, then lowered my head to look back out the window.

A few minutes later, we were parked in the lot of the diner. I stayed stationary for a moment, trying to summon the energy to move from my place, while everyone started piling out of the car.

Emmett placed his hand on my shoulder. "Bella, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself today," he said with concern.

I looked over at him, my weary eyes betraying my wide-awakeness inside, and nodded. "Yeah, Em. I'm all right. Just a little overwhelmed."

He thought for a moment, trying to decide on what to say next. "Alice told us about what she walked in on," he said tenderly.

I closed my eyes in humiliation. Now not only did Edward and I know what kind of a hussy I was, but now the rest of the group did as well.

_Bravo, Bella._

"Don't worry about it," he said strongly.

I was caught off guard.

Don't worry about it?

Don't _worry_ about it?

_How in the hell was I not going to worry about it?_

For all I knew, if Tanya found out about this kiss, I'd ruin a damn wedding!

Not that I thought that she and Edward should be getting married, but still, I would ruin someone's life! I'd make someone miserable!

_I_ felt miserable and I wasn't even dating anyone!

"'Don't worry about it?' Emmett, are you fucking kidding me? What, are you guys not going to tell Tanya about it? Are you all going to forget that it happened? Shit, Em, you're willing to betray someone like that?" I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Where are you getting betrayal from? Bella, are we talking about the same thing here?"

"As far as I can tell, we are. Wouldn't it be a betrayal if someone you considered family lied to you?"_ That's what was essentially going on, wasn't it?_

"Yes, but who said anything about lying? And for clarifications' sake, you two just kissed, right? You didn't do the whole shebang, or anything?"

Isn't lying about the kiss as bad as the kiss itself?

I mean, not that the kiss with Edward wasn't day-dream worthy. If he and Tanya weren't engaged, I would definitely be up for doing that again. Repeatedly.

With adlibbing encouraged.

"No, Emmett! We didn't screw, we didn't fuck, and we didn't do the horizontal mambo." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Well, that's that then."

_Huh?_

How could everything be cleared up in that one conversation?

It wasn't.

At least, it wasn't on my part.

I shook my head, giving up on the semi-argument he and I were having.

I felt the car shifting from the weight of him getting up from his seat and followed suit, slowly stretching my limbs as I exited the car and lazily closed the door behind me.

Looking around, I saw that everyone, save Edward and I, were walking towards the front door of the restaurant.

I sighed. In reality, I was more confused now about what had happened than I was before. There were no concrete answers, no evidence of what was truly going on.

One thing I knew for sure was that I definitely wanted to kiss Edward Cullen again.

And that was one **bad** thing of which to be sure.

He walked over to me, and I knew I'd have to tell him something, let him know that I couldn't be the other woman.

"Bella, please don't run away," he said once he reached me.

"Edward, I can't do this. It should be illegal, the things you make me feel. I barely know you and we kissed and it was an amazing kiss. And I'm falling, completely and hopelessly, I'm falling and I need somewhere to land, but I'm afraid that all I'll get is broken from it. Just let me land safely, please. Edward, please," I rambled out as tears filled my eyes.

I wasn't sure how any of that made sense, but I felt his arms come around me, tightening his hold around my body and making me feel safe. I cried unabashedly into his shirt, probably ruining it like I was doing to so many other things lately.

"Don't cry, Bella. It'll be all right. Here, let's get you some nourishment. I've been running you ragged, what with the worrying and all," he joked.

I stifled a laugh and smacked him on the shoulder. His hand came up to my chin and brought my head up from his chest so that he could look me in the eye.

Moving his hand from my chin, his thumb came around to wipe at the tears on my cheeks. The simple gesture soothed me and I wanted to melt in his arms.

My eyelashes clung together, changing from singular entities to multiple groupings on my face. I knew my cheeks were blotchy and my nose was undoubtedly red. I felt completely unattractive and hideous.

His next words caught me completely off guard.

"You know, you really are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."

I gasped.

_That was exactly what he said… last… night…_

_Oh my God, he remembers._

My eyes widened as he smirked that illegal smirk of his and my knees buckled. The air whooshed out of my lungs as he caught me.

"Whoa Bella, are you okay?" he asked softly, smirk still in place. The fucker was toying with me.

My voice sounded strangled as I replied, "Yeah, I just, uh… gotta pee. 'Scuse me." I said as I scrambled away from him.

Luckily the front of the restaurant wasn't too far away. I skidded to a halt just in time to not smack my forehead against the heavy wooden door.

Well, my feelings were completely scratched to hell, but at least my physical self was good to go.

I calmed myself briefly before opening the door and stepping inside. Somehow, whenever I was with Edward, time seemed to zoom past me on a hovercraft. But in reality, our group hadn't even been seated yet.

How 'bout that.

"Hey guys, what do you think of this place? Pretty cool, huh?" I knew that the reason it was called the Hangar Inn was because the back of the restaurant was actually a landing strip for airplanes. You could be sitting with your family and see a plane take off and land right in front of your very eyes.

I heard the door open and close behind me, the strange electrical charge tingled as my body registered Edward's presence.

Just then, our waitress showed up to escort us to our seats. She was a pretty, young thing, close to our age and peppy. Her long, dirty blonde hair bounced in its pony-tail as we followed her down the isle-way.

I couldn't sit next to Edward. I skipped towards Alice and Rosalie, who were in the front of our group, and linked my arms with them. I just had to be surrounded by estrogen.

Scooting into the booth first I tried my hardest to either be in the middle of Alice and Jasper, or Rosalie and Emmett. I knew if Edward sat next to me, I'd be toast.

Sexually frustrated and completely susceptible toast.

I let out a breath of relief when Emmett ended up on my left side and Alice on my right.

The waitress introduced herself as Anna; she had pretty blue eyes and a warm smile. She took our drink orders as the rest of the group filed into the booth, promising to come back in a few minutes to take the rest of our order and deliver our drinks.

We sat in an easy silence as we perused the menu of breakfast items and I won't lie, ever since Alice mentioned pancakes, I was craving the fuckers.

Each of us picked out our choices and sat creating casual conversation. I tried to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to say something that would ruin the easiness our group had formed.

Rosalie sat on the other side of Alice, each of them casting me knowing looks every so often. Honestly, it creeped me out a little bit.

Jasper had taken the other side of Emmett while Edward sat next to him. The seating arrangement was like battle of the sexes, girls against boys. I was confident that if the need arose, we could take them.

As promised, Anna did return a few moments later. She carried a tray with all our drinks on it and skillfully passed them around to their intended targets. I sipped at my orange juice thirstily, needing to rehydrate after the crying-capades I'd been through in the last twenty-four hours.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Jasper asked out of the blue.

"Well, seeing as its still Bella's birthday weekend, I suggest doing something she wants to do," Rosalie piped up.

_Um, considering that I want to do Edward, I don't think everyone else will want to partake in that particular activity._

_Oh Jesus, it's going to be a long day._

Every eye focused on me as I gulped my juice. "Uh, geeze guys, way to put the pressure on a girl. I don't know what to do. Any ideas?" I offered.

Alice intervened, "Well, since we're so close to the mall, why don't we stop in? Ohh, we could start shopping for Halloween costumes!"

"Alice, Halloween's not for another month and a half!" Emmett chimed in.

"Yes, dearest brother of mine, it is a while away. But as we all know, time flies when you're having fun," Alice responded sarcastically.

"I suppose you'll be throwing another party this year, sugarlips?" Jasper interjected.

"Hmm, I was thinking… maybe we could all meet at a club this year. I mean, since we're so close to downtown Seattle and all, everything's just right there. Plus we're all at least twenty-one. It could be pretty epic. Just imagine it, guys," Alice thought aloud.

I did picture it. Or at least what I thought it would look like. A big, cavernous space decorated with lights and a second story with booths lining the walls. A round, open bar with halogen lights inside the countertops on the ground floor. See-through tiled dance floor where multi-colored lights flashed according to the music thrumming through the speakers. Secluded corners for mischievous activities where no one would ever find you.

Oh yeah, I could imagine Alice throwing an epic Halloween party in one of those for sure.

I glanced at everyone else around the table, each gazing off in their own directions with far away looks on their faces. Alice and Rosalie both had their heads held in their hands, chins resting on propped arms. Jasper was staring off towards the empty landing strip and Emmett was burning a hole into the table top with his concentrated stare.

I closed my eyes and snickered silently into my hand. Emmett was a trip and a half, such a fucking goober.

Opening them up again, I looked over at the last member of our group who I'd been steadily trying to ignore. His green eyes blazed back at me while the sly, crooked smile I'd come to drool over graced his lips.

I gazed back steadily, absently biting my lip in the process. I watched as his eyes darkened impossibly, sending a shot of arousal straight through my body and landing squarely at my core.

_Jesus, one look and I'm rip rarin' to go._

"So, shopping it is then," I agreed, if only to break the silence that had consumed us.

Surely a couple of hours at the mall wouldn't kill me. Especially if it meant that I could get to know everyone in the group better.

We chit-chatted about Alice, Jasper and Edward's classes, my job, and Rose and Emmett's shop to pass the time before our food arrived.

"Have you given any more thought as to what you're going to be doing after you graduate, Jasper?" I asked.

"Not really, darlin'. I must say that teaching history is sticking for at me. But I'm not entirely sure if I want to be stuck standing in front of munchkins all day tellin' them the finer points of the Civil War. I might go slightly insane," Jasper answered.

"You'd be great with kids, Jazzy. I know it," Alice bubbled from beside Rosalie.

I smirked; I could tell that Alice definitely wanted kids with Jasper someday.

"Dude, don't you have some kind of concert at the end of the year?" Emmett suddenly asked Edward.

"Ooh! We get to dress up?!" _Well, that got Alice's attention._

"Several times, Ali," Edward answered. He turned towards me and explained, "Spread throughout the year, we have concerts to showcase each member's talents and strong points. Since I'm majoring in business as well, I'm in charge of putting together each of the shows. The first one will be somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. All of you are more than welcomed to come. The more the merrier."

"Can I make your clothes?! Please, pretty please, Edward? You'll look so devilishly handsome and professional, please?! It'll really help me out." Alice bounced in her seat with a puppy dog look on her face.

He chuckled and nodded at Alice. "As long as you don't make me your personal pin cushion, I'm all right with it."

"Oh, please. I coordinated Bella's ensemble last night, and she still lives to tell the tale. Plus, she looked gorgeous," Alice gushed.

The blush ignited in my cheeks as I bit my lip in the recollection of the previous night.

"Yes, she does," Edward agreed softly.

_Wow, will the burning feeling in my face ever go away?_

_All this constant exposure and I'll become the shade of a tomato in no time._

_Do not look directly into his eyes. Do not look directly into his eyes! For the love of all that's Holy, do not look into his eyes!_

I took in a shuddering breath and turned the conversation on to safer topics. "So Rose, how's the shop going? I'll be bringing my truck in sometime next week. I mean, if that's all right with the two of you."

"Sure thing, sweets. What days off do you have next week? That way we can kind of know when to expect you," she replied after taking a sip of her milk.

"Hell if I know. When I left yesterday, Galen still hadn't made the schedule. I guess when we hit the mall we can stop in and see if it's made."

Emmett snorted beside me. "Galen? What kind of pussy name is that? It sounds… flowery."

"Yeah, well, he's the opposite of a flower, I can tell you that much. He's our second assistant manager and doesn't know how to do his job," I replied.

"If he doesn't know how to do his job, then why is he a manager?" Rose asked.

"Beats me," I answered.

"Does he like his job? Why is he still there?" Rose asked again.

"No, he doesn't like his job. He complains about it all the time and says how he's going to be leaving before the next holiday season. But alas, he's still here. And I have no clue why he stays." _I never want to get in his head, like, ever._

"Huh," answered Rose.

"Oh, yeah, mind boggling that one is," I said sarcastically.

I didn't want to be thinking about Galen, or work for that matter. Once again, I changed the topic.

"So! You guys are getting married in the spring! That's so exciting!" _Jesus, can I sound any more enthusiastic?_

"I decided to take one for the team and pick her for my own. No one else should be subjected to this woman's stinky feet," Emmett spoke from beside me.

Rose picked up a spoon from her place setting and threw it at him; he caught it easily as we all laughed.

"Really, I just can't live without her," he added a second later.

"Aww that is so… so… gah! What's the word I'm looking for?" I fumbled.

_What I wouldn't do to feel that kind of love. The kind where you can't live without the other person, can't imagine your existence without their presence, can't function without knowing that they were safe._

I caught Edward's eyes across the table, once again searing into my soul and setting my heart a flutter. I looked down suddenly, for all I knew he and Tanya felt that way about each other.

Unexpectedly, I felt nauseous.

"Romantic? Cheesy? Fairy-tale-ish? Sickening? I could come up with others," Jasper spoke up with a smirk.

"Oh please, like you don't feel the same way about Alice," Emmett scoffed.

"That's my point exactly. It's romantic, cheesy, fairy-tale-ish, and sickening all at the same time. You're in a whirlwind and can't find your way out," Jasper explained.

"Yes, Bella, it's exciting to be getting married. We've got most of the location details penned down, now we're just trying to get everything else together," Rose took over the conversation from Emmett.

"Oh? Where's it going to be held?" I asked curiously.

"We found this really pretty park with a look-out point for Mount Rainier and the Carbon River. In the spring it'll be full of fresh blooms and all kinds of greens and blues, really just exploding with color. It is a bit of a drive from here, but the scenery alone is worth it," Rose gushed with a huge smile on her face.

"Sounds very natural and beautiful, Rose. You'll have to show me all the pictures." _I wonder if I'll ever be able to plan a wedding._

"You'll be invited for sure, Bella. So you can take your own pictures, all right?" Rose smirked.

The smile on my face was huge. _I don't recall ever being to a wedding before. I had friends who were getting married, how weird is that to say? It was so adult and… big. _

I was caught off guard when Anna showed up, tray loaded down with the food Emmett alone had ordered. Rosalie turned to me with a serious look on her face.

"Bella, if he becomes too much for you, just let me know. Sometimes when he eats and he's _hungry_, he can go a little hog wild."

"Hey! Give me a little credit, will ya, babe? It's not like I'll mistake her elbow for a piece of chicken or something," Emmett spoke up from beside me, winking at the last part.

"You promise you won't try to eat me, Emmy Bear?" I said in mock-seriousness, a pout on my face.

"I promise, Bellsy," he replied as he bumped his shoulder with mine, all of us chuckling at the silliness present.

Rose spoke up one last time, mock-whispering to me across the table, "Just remember to tuck in your elbows and you'll be fine."

Somehow I didn't think she was trying to be funny.

Emmett had three different plates of food, each of them brimming with delectable pieces that called to my stomach. Pancakes, French toast, hash browns, sourdough toast, sausage, bacon, and eggs all lay out before him like a buffet fit for a king. He gazed at the plates ravenously then licked his lips comically before pouncing on the closest dish.

It took poor Anna two more trips to bring the rest of us our breakfasts.

The syrup on the side dish of my pancakes glimmered in the bright early morning sunshine like amber gold. Syrup was almost the best part of having pancakes in my opinion.

I dug in nearly as fast as Emmett had, and he was just finishing his first plate!

The next few minutes passed with all of us moaning over the deliciousness of the food we were digesting. For a not so well known place, the food was amazing!

I made the mistake of watching Edward eating. Seriously, it should be considered an art, the way his fork moved towards his mouth, the contours of his lips wrapping around the utensil as it slid out.

_Oh Lord, I'm becoming jealous of scrambled eggs. Bad Bella, very bad Bella._

"Uh, sorry Alice, but I have to use the bathroom," I blurted out. She and Rosalie scooted out so that I could shimmy away from the booth.

"My, Bella, you do have an overactive bladder, don't you?" Edward snickered from the other end of the table as I stood up.

I leaned down to whisper in his ear, "At least it's better than passing out at completely random intervals."

Turning from him sharply, I heard his fork clatter to the plate as I walked away.

_Score: Bella 1, Edward, 0._

Using the washroom quickly, I made my way back out to the table to discover that everyone was pretty much done eating. Emmett had engulfed all three plates full of food and was patting his stomach lazily.

"We've decided that we're gonna get Starbucks before we head over to the mall. It'll liven us up a bit," Jasper said as I walked up to the booth and stood at the head of the table.

"What's wrong with the coffee here?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure nothing, but sugardumplin' and Rose want come sort of caramel macchiato or something," Jasper explained.

_And that's why I don't like Starbucks. That and their coffee stinks to me._

They all started piling out of the booth and heading towards the exit, everyone ahead of me as I stood at the table

"But guys, aren't we suppose to pay first?" I called after them.

"Edward already took care of that," Alice said as she spun in front of me.

_I wasn't gone that long._

I ran up to Edward, who was at the front of the group. "Thank you, Edward."

He shrugged. "It's still your birthday, so you shouldn't have to pay for anything."

Quickly, we made the journey back to Edward's car, each of us taking up our previous seats once we reached it.

There was a Starbucks across the street from the mall, so we stopped at that one. Really, there were two coffee shops inside it, why not put a third across the street?

There was a little bit of a line formed, and I wasn't craving coffee, so I stood off to the side with Edward while the rest gathered into the line. He leaned against an empty table with his arms crossed against his chest while I set myself next to him.

"Why aren't you getting coffee?" I asked him as I moved closer to Edward, now leaning against the table with him. _What is he, a fucking magnet?_

"All full up, besides, I can only stomach certain kinds and sadly, this isn't one of the kinds I can. What about you?" he answered as our shoulders touched and he uncrossed his arms, placing them on the edge of the table between us.

_Eh, at least we had that in common. And the electricity, I don't care if he says he doesn't feel it. The jerkface does too, he let his cards show when he kissed me. Or I kissed him. Whichever, it happened between the two of us and — God, now I'm rambling in my own head! Stop thinking, Bella, just fucking feel, kay?_

"Not really thirsty. I might get a soda or something later, but I'm all right for now," I answered as I felt his hand come around my back and wrap lightly around my waist.

_Jesus that feels nice, like I'm finally home or something._

"If you want anything, just let me know. Like I said earlier, it's still considered your birthday and you shouldn't have to pay for a single thing," he said as his thumb rubbed small circles over my hip bone.

_Huh, when had that become exposed?_

I was about to answer when a small commotion caught my attention. Curious, I stood up and slowly walked towards the front counter.

There, at the very front of the line, were the group of my friends, shock plastered across their faces.

Exchanging my gaze for them towards the barista, I was met first hand with the reason why they'd gone speechless.

Her name badge said that her name was Tammy, and it looked like she was having a very, very bad day.

Gone was the normal, non-hectic worker who'd usually greet customers in a friendly manner. Replacing her was a harried, slightly crazy looking blonde woman who looked like she needed a vacation to the Galapagos Islands, stat.

I felt Edward come up behind me, the hand I'd come so used to being on my waist now positioned on the small of my back.

"What's going on?" I heard the slight panic in his voice.

"Er, I'm not exactly sure…" I trailed off.

Her eyes alone made me uneasy, the blue color reflecting oddly off of the streaming sunshine from outside. When she spoke, her voice sounded gravelly and like she had a bad case of strep throat.

"Who'd you like to sue today?"

_Crazy lady say what?_

"Er, sorry, but what was that?" I asked slowly, unsure if she'd said what I thought she had.

"I said: who'd you like to sue today? We've got a wide variety of people to choose from. There's my bastard ex-husband who doesn't want his ex-wife to be happy at all. There's the partner at the law-firm I'm interning at during the week who works my ass like I'm his personal assistant. Oh, and then there are the proprietors of this ass-in-a-can coffee shop."

She leaned forward towards us and whispered dramatically behind her hand, "Tim Horton's is way better than this muck you call coffee anyways!"

Then, apparently having had enough of the coffee establishment she was working for, tore off her apron and stalked around to the other side of the counter. She threw the apron at the closest customer, grabbed her purse from under the counter and walked towards the front door.

She untucked her black polo from her pants and turned back towards the counter where we all stood, speechless.

"You can kiss my big, white, Canadian ta-tas! I fucking quit!" she shrieked before pulling the shirt over her admittedly large tits and flashing us.

She then ran from the store, waving her hands around in the air yelling about blankies and medics.

Uh-huh.

I couldn't help it, I snorted with laughter.

A tall man came into the room from what I assumed was the office. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. To make amends for this incident, we're going to give you your drinks complimentary, anything you'd like. Thank you."

Yes, this was already turning out to be an interesting day.

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

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	13. YippeeKiYay, MotherTrucker

Chapter 13: Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mother-Trucker.

XOXOXOXO

The manager from Starbucks looked at me oddly.

Well, he looked at me like any other normal person would if they were watching a crazy chick laugh hysterically. I was doubled over, clutching my stomach, remembering the scene that took place only moments before.

They say that laughter is contagious; soon everyone around me was also laughing from the lunacy of the event that had just taken place. I mean really, who wouldn't find a lady flashing her golden globes in the middle of a coffee house hilarious?

Okay, so the pregnant lady near the door didn't, but she was the one exception.

And the bald guy behind her.

But really, everyone else inside the café was laughing with me.

Ah shit, I didn't care if they were or weren't, I was cracking the fuck up.

Alice stood in front of me, silent streams of her humor rolling down her cheeks as she gasped for breath.

Emmett clutched at her shoulder, trying to keep himself from toppling over as his guffaws shook his entire frame.

Rosalie was shrieking her hilarity, her forehead leaning on Emmett's shoulder as she pounded her fist against the countertop.

Jasper's face was crumpled up, his features scrunching together as his hearty chuckle passed through his lips.

Edward's laughter was music to my ears. I still felt his hand on my back, shaking with his chuckles.

"Oh, sweet monkeys in a barrel of trout! That has got to be one of the most absurd things to ever have happened!" Jasper finally got out after our laughter had died down.

"Oh, please, I need to sit down. I don't think my legs can hold me much longer," I barely managed to squeak out.

I moved away from the group. A new barista had come to their aid and was taking their orders as they each wiped away their own laughter-induced tears.

Even the promise of a free coffee couldn't get me to pick one up.

It was muck on so many different levels for me.

Thankfully the table Edward and I had been leaning against a moment before was still empty, so I pulled up a chair and plopped down onto it.

_I don't think I've laughed that hard in… Jesus… forever._

It felt so freeing and empowering.

Leaning back in the black wire chair, I took in the scene around me. There was still a line waiting to order their coffees, but most of the room had cleared out. Everyone was most likely spooked after what had just happened.

Edward walked over to me, small water in hand.

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

"What? It's not coffee, and they can't really ruin water," he defended.

_Oh, but they could. Evil corporate America at it's finest could do anything they fucking wanted._

He sat down next to me on the other available chair, taking a small sip of the water as I chuckled.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye, watched the way his lips wrapped around the straw as he took small pulls from his drink, watched his Adam's apple bob with each swallow he took, watched as his long fingers wrapped elegantly around the cup.

I was startled out of my drooling stare as the rest of the group approached us.

_Holy Hell! If I get caught staring again someone will definitely know what's going on in my panties. That would not be a good thing._

I looked up just in time to see Jasper grin at me.

_FUCK! Fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"Let's get going! I can't wait around all day, you know," Emmett barked out suddenly, breaking into my internal cursing.

I felt the heat of my blush across my cheeks as I determinedly kept my eyes on the floor and stood up from the chair.

What was this, _Catch Bella Staring Day_?

_Maybe I should just walk around with my eyes closed for the rest of the day._

_Oh yeah, that's a brilliant plan, embarrass yourself even more by randomly running into things. I won't die of humiliation at all._

Rosalie and Alice walked up to me with their drizzled caramel iced macchiatos in hand.

"Are you sure you don't want any coffee, Bella? Starbucks giving away anything for free is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Alice said as she turned the drink back and forth in her hand.

"Please, Starbucks and my stomach just don't play well together, Alice," I mumbled as the three of us started walking out of the café, Edward, Jasper and Emmett behind us.

"Ah, that would be an acceptable reason, then," Rosalie agreed as she linked an arm with mine.

We all climbed slowly back in to Edward's car, the sun now streaming brightly outside.

"Is there anywhere special I should park? That way we're closer to your work and won't have to walk all through the mall if we don't want to?" Edward asked as he tried to navigate the parking lot.

The fucker was crowded as hell for a Saturday morning.

"Well, whatever you can get, thank your lucky ass stars. Try to get something near the Target though, that'll definitely make it easier," I stated from the backseat.

He found a spot in the far back, rows upon rows of cars' windshields gleamed in the sunshine as we slowly walked towards the front entrance of the mall.

"Well, Bella. Edward said it earlier, if you want anything all you have to do is tell him and he'll take care of it. Is there anything you need?" Alice said teasingly.

I need to get seriously laid, but that's not going to take place at the mall. Even I'm not that much of an exhibitionist. Oh, and panties. Mine dissolved back at the apartment complex thanks very much to your cousin kissing me.

I shook my head. "No Alice, there isn't anything that I can think of off the top of my head that I need at the moment. But I'll let you know," I answered as I winked at her.

She, Rose and I led the way while the three boys walked behind us. Really, it was a fucking mall. There wasn't anything to be afraid of, the big pussies.

The closest entrance to my work was located in between Target and some lame sports store called Big 5. Once we made our way through the wall of doors, we were blasted with cold air conditioning. I shivered lightly, wrapping my hands around the tops of my arms and rubbing to try and keep warm.

Stupid mall management would rather their customers' freeze when they didn't need to and burn when they could've been spared.

I felt Edward step up behind me, his hands joining my own as I tried to warm up my cold skin.

"Bella, you're freezing! Do you want to borrow my shirt or something?"

_Hmm, shirtless Edward walking around in the cold… no, Bella, no! If seeing him fully clothed is enough of a problem, just think what you'd be like if he was half naked!_

"Uh, that's awfully sweet of you, but I'll be okay soon," I rejected slowly, almost mumbling into my chest.

_Hello nipples, I see you've decided to take the defensive and become rock hard glass-cutters. We could take this show on the road, or better yet become world class criminals. Bella the Nipple Cutter, at your service._

_Fantastic, I'm talking to my boobs._

_Mental facepalm because I'm a head case._

He continued to rub my arms, adding more warmth to other parts of my body as he replied, "At least let me help you warm up a little bit, I hear hypothermia doesn't help one shop at all."

_You can warm me up by rubbing me a little lower, in the pubic area. It's been a long time since someone else's hands were down there and believe me, my kitty is awfully lonely. She'd absolutely purr if you only greeted her and stayed for a little while. I got the rest of my life, how about you?_

I chuckled at my inner pervert and agreed, eager for his hands on me at any cost.

Emmett and Jasper had come forward, walking by their respective partners with their hands clasped together.

It was a short distance from the front doors to my store, Fuego. As the six of us walked in, I noticed that there wasn't anyone running the floor. No one had cleaned up properly and the store's music wasn't even on.

Jesus, I'm not even on the clock and I'm acting as if I am. It's not like I'm management or anything, if everyone else doesn't care about this place, then I don't either. It gets too tiring to be the only person who treats the store like it's something special, something to be taken care of.

I stopped in the entryway and announced, "Well, this is it. Go ahead and take a look around while I go find Galen."

Edward's hands stopped on my arms as I stepped away from him and headed towards the back office. I turned around to see him wandering along the isles in between the other two couples, picking up things and smiling.

It caused me to smirk through my haze of anger over the store being abandoned.

Making my way to the office door, I knocked loudly on it. If Galen was in there sleeping, I'd junk punch him. No. Joke.

A moment later, I was greeted with his unpleasant face smiling at me.

Jesus, the man was ugly. No, he was fugly. Fugly as all hell breaking loose and only the special demons couldn't get out.

His blonde hair shimmered in the fluorescent lighting, making his face seem to glow sickly. Blue eyes gazed blankly at me from behind his horn-rimmed black glasses as if he didn't know who the hell I was.

I'd worked with the fucking man the entire time I'd been with the company; he'd better damn well know who the hell I was after all this time.

Recognition flashed over his features as he realized who I was.

"Oh, Bella. Great, I need you to do some inventory preparation today, as well as reorganize the shelving system in the back," he said as he looked me over.

I shivered involuntarily. "I'm not-"

"Oh, and you'll definitely be getting written up for your attire. You know what you're wearing is against policy," he interrupted me as he looked over my form again, his eyes settling on my chest.

Crossing my arms over my breasts, I tried to talk to him again, "But Galen, I don't-"

"Are you arguing with me? Bella, you'll have to be written up for insubordination as well," he snapped as his eyes flashed to mine.

_Cheese and fucking rice!_

"Galen! I don't work today!" I snapped loudly. Damn guy wouldn't let me get a single word in edgewise and here I am explaining the most obvious thing. If only he'd done his job he would've known that I wasn't on shift.

"Oh, you're not?"

I shook my head.

"Well, what are you here for?" he snapped.

_Fucking prick, I'm here to sweep you off your lopsided feet and whisk you away into the sunset. What else would I be here for?_

"I was just checking to see if the schedule's been made for next week," I said politely.

"Yeah, there are a few copies up front," he said rudely before slamming the door in my face.

_Well, that was unexpected._

I nodded mutely at the door before turning and making my way back up front.

_Who was supposed to be working the floor? The registers? What if some random person came into the store and stole something?_

_Jesus, stop thinking Bella. What good will it do you now?_

Shaking my head at myself, I walked up to the front counter and looked around for our work-board. It was a two-inch thick binder that held various items from the schedule to price changes that still needed to be completed. I saw a customer come into the store from the corner of my eye.

It was an older gentleman, someone who'd been into our store more than once over the last year or so. He could've easily been my grandfather with his white hair combed over smoothly and slightly wrinkled face smiling as he walked farther into the store.

_Oh Lord love a duck, not again._

I dropped the work-board and pivoted on my heels, my eyes scanning the isles in front of me for any one of my friends.

Shit, I just needed _one_ of them. The store wasn't big enough for me to lose five people for fuck's sake!

I crouched down and slowly started walking down the walk-ways, checking each and every direction for some sign of my friends. I had to find someone; they didn't know who I was dealing with if the old guy found me.

He'd been coming in at least once a month for the last year, hitting on me and asking me out at every opportunity. I'd been rejecting him nicely each time, stating a boyfriend of some sort held onto my heart. Every time he'd come in, I'd been working and now that I was here off the clock, if he saw me, he'd probably want to meet my boyfriend.

Well honestly he probably didn't care, but I really didn't want to get caught in my lie.

I hated lying in the first place, but I couldn't just trample on someone's feelings willy-nilly. I had a conscience after all.

Luckily, I found Jasper and Alice near one of the side windows of the store, looking at some jewelry. She was looking between two sets of silver hoops with burnt orange rhinestone accents inside while he had his arm wrapped around her waist trying to help her out with a decision.

"Jazzy, I don't know which one would go better with that dress that I have. You know the one with the fringe on the bottom? What do you think?" Alice mused from in front of me as I sneaked over.

"Alice! Can I borrow your boyfriend for a few minutes? It's an emergency!" I whisper-yelled at her, breaking into her thoughts about the trinkets in her hands.

She looked perplexed, but nodded silently all the same.

"Thanks! Come on, Jasper. I need you to pretend that you're mah lovah," I whispered while snatching his hand from Alice's waist.

"What, little darlin'?" he asked while chuckling.

"Perfect! Just keep that up until this guy leaves. He's been coming for months asking me out, but he's old and grey and just gives me the icks," I quickly explained while shivering.

Seriously, the guy creeped me out like no other.

"Now, why didn't you grab Edward? He would've been the perfect thing you're looking for," Jasper said quietly in my ear.

I felt the blush on my cheeks. "Because I found you first. Believe me, I feel bad enough creeping in on Alice's territory with you," I said lowly through clenched teeth, aggravated for having to pretend I was in a relationship with someone.

I smoothed down my clothes from my stint at trying to be stealthy and pulled him along with me to the front of the registers, where the guy was perusing the wall behind the counter.

I heard Jasper laugh softly before he sighed and shook his head. Wrapping an arm loosely around my waist, he ushered me forward with his free hand.

See my general plan was to at least have Jasper walk with me and if the guy saw us then I could introduce the two of them.

"See! I told you one of these days you'd meet my honey. This is Jasper," I said to the older gentleman, gesturing to Jazz with my free hand as we walked up.

Apparently my mouth didn't receive the message from my brain.

_What, no _Hi, how are you? How you been? _Nope, just straight to the heartache, _Here, let me rub in my supposed boyfriend in your face. _Nice, Bella. Way to go with that one._

I glanced up at Jasper to see him grin and extend his free hand out to the other man.

"It sure is nice to meet you, sir."

The older man glared at Jasper and eyed him up and down while shaking his hand.

"So, you like 'em Southern, don't you?" he griped from in front of us.

"Er, yes. I like my southern gentleman. He's a sweetheart," I said while resting my hand on Jasper's chest. My other arm wrapped behind him, resting on the top of his back lightly.

_Hmm, Jasper's got some firm pecs. Alice is way lucky._

_Oh God, I'm objectifying men. Hey, it's the twenty-first century, about time, right?_

"You young kids wouldn't know the first thing about seasoned men, always choosing the younger ones," he snarled before turning away from us abruptly and walking out the front doors of the store.

_Wait, weren't the women supposed to be saying that?_

"Well, that was interesting to say the least," I mumbled as I dropped my hand from Jasper's back.

He turned to me, leaning against the counter in the process. "Bella, you know Edward would've helped you out," he said seriously.

I sighed, walking up to the counter and rifling through the work-board looking for the new schedule.

"I know. I would've liked him to as well," I admitted.

Yeah, I could've gazed up at Edward like a lovesick puppy. Too easily, I could have. But what would I have done then to make the distinction between pretend and real? I would have wanted to stay that way forever.

Finally, after staring at the page in front of me for far too long, I realized that I'd been looking at the schedule all along without really seeing it.

"Bella, look at me," Jasper said once I started moving again.

Placing my hands on the counter, I turned my head to look into his blue eyes. So crystal clear and expressive, begging me to listen to his next words.

"I can sense the feelings the two of you have for each other. It reminds me a lot of what Ali and I had when we first started dating. Why are you fighting so hard to not see that?"

"Because I don't deserve him, Jasper. I'm not-"

"Isabella, if you say you're not good enough for someone you have feelings for then we have a lot to teach you about self-value. You're view is impossibly skewed," Jasper snapped at me.

Jesus, only my parents called me Isabella when they were upset with me. Jasper was radiating it.

I swallowed hard, preparing myself to speak when Alice pranced over.

"So did Jazz help you out with your problem, Bella?" she asked giggling.

_Hmm, seems like she had a front row seat to the show._

I glared at her. Instead of coming up with a retort I 'hmphed' and gathered a schedule in my hands.

I heard Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward walk up behind me.

"Okay Rose, so it looks like I have next Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday off. I'll probably be dropping by on Wednesday."

"Fantastic! If we need to keep it over night, is that a problem?" Rose asked.

I shrugged. "Nah, I can take the bus."

"Why don't I take you? At least from the shop back home. I don't like the idea of you riding the bus," Edward said from my left.

I looked over my shoulder at him. "Really, Edward, I can ride the bus. It's not like I haven't had to do it before."

Okay, granted it was back in my old hometown of Forks, but the same principles applied to riding a bus in Seattle.

And I still had my pepper spray.

"Why don't you go in and volunteer at the hospital on Wednesday, Bella? You haven't been over there in ages. Edward can take you home afterwards," Alice piped up from behind Jasper on my right.

"That's a good idea, Alice," Edward answered.

Yes, it was a good idea. But it still didn't answer the question of how I was going to get to the hospital in the first place. Unless Rose and Emmett's shop was within walking distance of the hospital, I'd have to take some form of transportation to get there.

"And I can take you from the shop to the hospital," Emmett said from next to Rose, as if reading my mind.

"I can't ask that of you guys. Besides, you've probably got more important things to do, other cars to work on or something," I deflected.

Really, I wasn't an invalid. I could get from the shop to the hospital in one piece.

"What, you don't wanna ride with the Emster? Ah Bellsy, that hurts," Emmett pouted as he placed one of his large hands over his heart.

"It's not that, Emmy Bear. You know I wouldn't mind riding with you," I said sincerely as I turned around and placed a hand on his shoulder. Or what I could reach of it.

His face split into a beaming smile. "Excellent! Then after you bring in your truck, I'll be taking you to the hospital to volunteer with Edwardo the Weirdo over here," he said as he tilted his head in Edward's direction.

Edward's pursed lips and raised eyebrow towards Emmett in response was hilarious. All of us started laughing at the counter, just enjoying the moment.

Then Galen had to go and ruin it by showing his ugly mug.

"What's going on here?" he asked as he came up on us at the counter.

"Oh, I was just getting a schedule," I replied evenly.

"Bella, these people are distracting others, so I would like to ask you to tell them to leave," he whispered as he walked behind the counter to stand in front of me.

For reals? I wasn't even working, no one was in the store, and he wanted me to tell my friends to leave. First off, someone asking a customer to leave the store had to be done by a manager. It's not a part-timer's job. Secondly, I can't do anything regarding work anyways. I wasn't on the clock!

I sighed heavily, trying to keep my anger at bay.

It was one thing to ask me to do something, it was another to ask me to do it to my friends.

"You know what, guys? Let's just go. I spend way too much time here as it is," I said slowly, my eyes seeing red as I thought more about what he was asking me to do.

Fucking prick.

Fucking cocksucking prick.

Gah! I just wanted to smack him right across the face!

Whipping the schedule from the counter-top, I folded it in half swiftly, then once again to fit it inside one of my pockets.

Upon hearing my words, Emmett and Rosalie started leaving the store, hands clasped together and swinging freely between them.

I couldn't look at Edward. One, I was sure my eyes were tearing up again, and two, I didn't want to misplace my anger with Galen onto him.

He didn't deserve my anger.

At least not now, he'd been nothing by kind and generous to me today.

I stormed out of the store, the blood pumping through my veins quickly and making my whole body feel on edge. Okay, so I probably didn't storm out, but the way my feet felt like they were hitting the tiled floor made it seem like I was stomping my feet.

The nerve! He had to ask me to tell my friends to leave! They were customers! First and foremost, Galen should've thought of it that way. But no, he saw them as people I was here with, people I liked interacting with.

I swear he was out to get me!

I needed to sit down, calm my jets and resituate myself. If I didn't, my legs felt like they might give out on me. Yeah, it wouldn't be too good if I collapsed at the mall.

I could just imagine the excitement as crowds would've gathered around me on the cold floor.

"Hey guys? Can we sit down for a minute?" I asked our group in general. I got a few mumbled assents as we started in a new direction.

Without thinking consciously, my feet carried me to the food court.

"Uh, Edward? God, I really hate to ask you this, but could you get me a water from Fox Hollow? It's free and I've just realized that I'm completely thirsty," I said as we made our way into the cafeteria.

"Sure Bella, anything you want," he agreed as he walked ahead of us. I looked for the nearest open stand, hoping to try and calm the muscles that were screaming for some sort of retaliation.

Rosalie and Emmett found one before I could, waving the rest of us over from their own spots at the circular table.

"So, before we attack the big, pink elephant in the room, I just want to ask you something, Bella," Rose said as we all sat down, waiting for Edward's return.

We all turned to her, faces expectant for the next words to come out of her mouth.

_What could she want to ask me about now?_

"Edward kissed you," she stated slowly, eyes darting back and forth between me and Alice.

"That's not a question, sweetheart," I said slowly, trying to avoid the situation and feeling the blush rise up on my cheeks.

"Well no, but this is. Why don't you go with him to Alice's Halloween party? You know, matching costumes or something? I think he'd like that," she said, blue eyes boring into mine.

"Uh, because his fiancé wouldn't really like that," I said as I narrowed my gaze at her.

_Duh. _

Well, at least I thought it was a duh.

"Wait, what?" Emmett asked, leaning forward in his chair, head cocked to the side as if he hadn't heard me right.

"Is that why-" Alice started, cutting herself off as she gazed at me in thought, a hand coming up to her mouth.

"Holy Hell," Rose said as she slapped her palm to her forehead.

I looked around confusedly.

"Sweet mother of Alton Brown, ain't that a kick in the nether regions," Jasper said in wonder.

"Jazz?" I asked carefully.

He turned to me, stunned expression on his face.

"Bella, sugarpie, Edward doesn't have a fiancé," he said delicately.

_Wait… what?_

"Of course he does," I said confidently.

"Who is he getting hitched to then?" Jasper asked softly.

"Tanya," I whispered. Suddenly I felt scared.

Everyone's faces whipped up at me.

"Tanya?!" Rosalie screeched incredulously.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no," Alice laughed.

Emmett sputtered and snorted into full-blown laughter.

"Sugar, Edward's never even dated Tanya. What would make you think he's marrying her?" Jasper consoled me softly.

"Jessica. The first time I met her, she said Tanya was Edward's fiancé," I said softly.

"Well see, that's your problem right there. Jessica's a gossip hound," Jasper explained.

"Then… oh," I managed out under my breath.

My heart landed in my chest with a resounding thud.

He wasn't engaged.

He.

Wasn't.

Engaged.

I think I went into shock. The next thing I knew, Alice was shaking me forcefully at the table in the food court.

"Bella! Bella, sweetie, are you okay? Please talk to me!" Alice said worriedly.

I blinked once.

Then again.

Holy mother-fucking, cock-sucking, pieces of ass-cream.

Edward Cullen _wasn't_ engaged.

_Well, that's a surprise._

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

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I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

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	14. One Foot In The Door

Chapter 14: One Foot In The Door

XOXOXOXO

So many conversations made sense now.

Rose's voice rang out at me several times inside my head, _"The two of you are obviously attracted to each other. Why not do something about it?" _

"_What about her? I mean, yeah, she's a bitch and a half, but she won't be a problem." _

"_She doesn't have anything to do with you and Edward." _

Finally, two conversations with Emmett replayed as well, _"Well, I'm pretty sure that he could fuck Tanya whenever he wanted, but that still doesn't change the fact that he wants _you_."_

"_Don't worry about it."_

Shaking my head to clear the fog from my brain, I thought about the entire situation.

I'd only been in Edward's company a few times. But from those experiences I'd come to learn that he was polite and well-mannered, a gentleman. Why would I ever think him capable of cheating on his significant other?

I could've saved myself from all of the heartache I caused if only I'd just manned up and asked one fucking question.

One fucking leap of faith and I wouldn't have been berating myself for having feelings for him.

Jesus, I was such a coward.

Alice continued to shake my shoulders, trying to bring me out of my inner thoughts.

"Bella, snap out of it!" she screeched at me.

"I am such a ditz," I mumbled, bringing a hand up to my forehead.

"Why would you think that Edward and Tanya are engaged?" Rose questioned.

"Because I was told that they were," I moaned, closing my eyes to hide my shame and embarrassment.

"Who told you that?" Alice asked, calmly this time.

"Jessica," I sighed, getting ready to tell my story, "The first night I met Edward, before I _really_ met him, I was in the ER. Jessica was friendly, as usual, and told me all about his family. Tanya was there, and she was all… handsy… with him. Jessica said she was his fiancé and I didn't have a reason not to believe her."

God, I was so foolish.

So trusting.

So gullible.

I raised my head from my hands, my eyes unconsciously searching for… something, someone. My gaze darted around the food court, searching for the tall mass of auburn locks that always seemed to ease my tension. Finally finding him at the coffee shop on the opposite end of the cafeteria, an epiphany hit me.

I needed to suck it up.

_It happened, big deal! Get over it and do something. Stop moping about the past, take charge of your future, damn it!_

My heart raced inside my chest, I suddenly felt jittery. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, my system in overdrive as my senses picked up my surroundings.

Edward started making his way towards our table, eyes locked on mine as soon as he found us.

The scene around me disappeared, the only thing registering in my brain was Edward's approaching figure.

_Ten feet away._

Shakily, I stood up, my body turning to face him.

_Five feet away._

I licked my lips unconsciously, heart thundering away in my ears.

_Two feet away._

He stood before me, plastic cup of water clutched in his hands as I gazed into his wondrously green eyes.

He tilted his head to the side in question.

_One foot closer to him._

Taking the water from him and setting it on the table next to me, I faced him fully.

His brow scrunched together adorably in confusion as my hands came back up to rest lightly against his chest.

Slowly, carefully as to give him a chance to pull away if I was too close for him, I ran my hands up from his chest to the base of his head. My fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck sensuously.

His hands, unmoving since I took the water away from him, came to life in front of me and reached around my back, fingers splaying out across my delicate frame.

Being bold, I stepped forward until our chests were completely pressed together. Of their own accord, my hands pulled down on his neck until he got the idea of moving his head closer to mine.

Mere centimeters separated us, our breaths mingling together once again as I made my move.

Before I could chicken out, I closed my eyes and brought my lips up to his, my skin meeting his soft, plump, warm flesh.

My skin warmed, my fingers tightened in his hair. The silky, smooth soft heaven of hair caressed my digits.

His fingers pulled me closer to him, lifting me up onto my tip-toes as my elbows rested in front of his shoulders. Bringing my hands back around so that I could cup his cheeks, an action he'd done to me on more than one occasion, as our kiss grew in length.

The bubble burst as we heard Emmett wolf-whistle behind us. We broke apart, now only millimeters separating us, each of us panting. My eyes snapped open, embarrassment coloring my cheeks as I bit my lip self-consciously.

I felt Edward's low growl against my chest as he swopped in for another searing kiss. Caught off guard, I couldn't hold in the moan that escaped my throat.

_Hot damn! When he growled, my panties went MIA._

_Missing: white, boy-short panties. Last seen: scurrying away from its owner screaming "Help me, I'm drowning!"_

His mouth opened to me, lips hungrily pressing against mine as he breathed into my mouth. His scent alone almost drove me wild.

Things would've gone from PG to XXX if we didn't stop kissing.

And soon.

The man was touching me, with his lips on my mouth only, and I was ready to lie down on the floor – or against the wall – and do a little clothes-less bump and grind in public.

_Can we say jail-time?_

I broke away suddenly, my heart still racing in my chest as I ducked my head under his chin, bringing my hands along with me so I could curl up against his chest.

At least I could bite my lip in secret there and not be accosted – wonderfully, I might add – in the middle of the food court.

His hands loosened their pin-points of doom against my shoulder blades as he wrapped his arms around me more tenderly, changing our tone from excited to calm.

"You're welcome," he said sweetly into my ear.

I pulled back to look at him in confusion.

"Well," he said, laughing lightly, "If this is the way you're going to thank me for bringing you water, I'd be happy to do it anytime."

I broke away from him, swatting him lightly on the shoulder as I turned back towards the table.

He grabbed my hand, twirling me back to him as he asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

Giggling like the hormone-addled woman that I was, I replied, "To get some water. All this kissing I'm doing lately has been making me dehydrated as hell."

Smirking, once again I turned from him and hastily grabbed my water from the table, keen to keep my gaze from everyone's faces. I could still feel the heat of my blush across my cheeks and knew it hadn't gone away yet.

Half of me wanted to jump up and down screaming, and the other half wanted to go hide in the nearest, deepest pit available.

Taking a healthy pull of water, I finally lifted my eyes to my tablemates. Each of them had their own grin plastered to their faces, various signs of the merriment evident in their expressions.

"So Bella, Alice and I were trying to decide where to go next. Does Victoria's Secret sound good to you?" Rose inquired, quirking a brow at me.

Before I had a chance to answer, Edward stepped forward, his warm chest coming flush against my back as he said eagerly, "We're in."

XOXOXOXO

Edward moved above me, coming to rest in the cradle of my legs as I tenderly stroked the hair from his forehead. His hardness pressed against my sensitive flesh and I ached to have him inside of me.

He dipped down to kiss me, my hand wrapped around the back of his head, threading my fingers through his glorious hair.

Our kiss grew in passion, tongues darting in and out of each other's mouths as our sweaty bodies pressed closely together. A pressure formed at my core; I was desperate for him to finally unite us.

Pulling back breathlessly, I looked up into his marble green eyes, dark with fiery need. "Please," I pleaded.

Nodding lightly, he aligned himself with my opening. My heart raced in my chest, my nerves and need meeting to create my over-eager excitement. Slowly, his hips moved forward.

_I didn't feel anything._

_Why didn't I feel anything?_

_I should feel_** something**_, damn it!_

_Stretching, completeness, pain? _

_No, I don't feel a fucking thing._

Now my fluttering heart turned to panic, what the hell was wrong with me?

_Was I broken?_

_Down there?_

I could feel his pelvis against mine, fully.

Looking down, I saw the trail of hair that led to his pubic area as well as the small tuft of dark hair that was my own.

_What the fuck?_

My pounding heart jolted me, I sat up quickly in bed, clutching a hand to my chest and panting as if I'd just run the LA Marathon for the first time.

_It was a dream?_

_A fucking real as hell dream?_

"Jesus," I whispered as I flopped back down onto my pillow. Steadily, my heart rate slowly began to journey its way back into normal beating rhythm as I contemplated my dream.

The pressure I'd had in my dream wasn't made up; my pussy was well-lubed and ready for the imaginary action it was supposed to be getting.

Grumbling, I thought back to the last time I'd seen Edward, what had happened after we'd left the food court on Saturday.

The trip to Victoria's Secret was, well, amusing, to say the least.

Emmett pranced around, squealing in joy at every thin piece of lace he found for Rosalie to buy, each one she'd examined and then threw back onto the racks from which they came. "It's like taking a kid into a candy store with this one," she muttered to me in passing.

My snorting attracted Alice, who pointed out that Jasper was doing the same thing, just not as boisterously as Emmett. Instead, he discretely slipped things into Alice's hand basket.

With each refusal, Emmett would sputter and spout some ridiculousness about her absolutely needing another pair of panties or bra. Her response was always limited, stating that he hadn't even seen what she had planned for their honeymoon.

I took my time, strolling through each rack disinterestedly. Truth was, I felt a little awkward with Edward trailing behind me. Seeing my opportunity to break away from the lingerie section, I headed into the beauty shop. Instantly my senses were ambushed by exotic scents and sparkling colors.

I picked up a bottle of one of their signature perfumes, Love Spell, batting off Edward's hands as I paid for it myself.

I could afford to pay nine dollars all by myself, thank you very much.

He stared at me grumpily while I raised an eyebrow at him in defiance, daring him to contradict me.

We spent a couple more hours in the mall, hitting the CD store, Target, and several others that caught our interest.

It struck me how comfortable I was with everyone. Hell, Edward and I walked through the mall holding hands, just like Emmett and Rose, and Jasper and Alice.

The days had blurred by since then.

I had to go back to work on Sunday. Thankfully Galen had the day off, otherwise I would've given him the ol' one-two. He had no right to treat my friends in the manner that he had.

Hell, he had no right to treat _me_ like he had.

It was downright disrespectful and rude. I was embarrassed that I worked for such a prick.

Luckily for him, his week long vacation started on Monday. The more time I had away from him, the more my anger would fade away and the less likely I would be to break his face the next time I saw him.

Monday and Tuesday were perfectly normal days; nothing extraordinary happened at all to break up the easiness. But as Wednesday crept closer, I became more and more antsy.

Edward and I hadn't really had a chance to talk since I had kissed him, since we'd been affectionate at the mall. And I was nervous as fuck to finally be around him alone, without anyone surrounding us.

Being brought back to the present, I decided that I might as well bring my truck in to Emmett and Rose's shop. I did not like the ominous feeling of me not having my truck and the sooner they could get her up fixed up, the better.

I rolled over to look at the clock on the nightstand beside my bed, 10:30 AM. _Not bad._

At least I had the time to be slow. Getting up from the bed and feeling the dampness from my crotch on the inside of my boxers, I decided that a shower was in order, if not to relieve myself, than to make damn well sure that I didn't smell like sex when I saw everyone. I didn't need that kind of torment today. Not having anything, or anyone, to help me remedy the situation was bad enough.

Shedding my clothes quickly, I realized how much of a coating of sweat I actually had on my body.

_Okay, first order of business, clean thyself._

_Second order of business, feed thy belly._

The monster inside of me gurgled at the mere thought.

I turned the water on and jumped in once it was warm enough, all the while contemplating what I was to have for breakfast.

Ten minutes later, thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned, I dressed in a pair of beige shorts and a dark blue tank top.

I tied my wet hair up into a messy bun as I made my way into the kitchen. Carbs were calling to me today. I grabbed a bagel from the fridge and sliced it in half quickly, paying close attention to the position of my fingers and where the knife was headed.

Success was had; I didn't knick myself at all!

_Hey, I took the small victories whenever I could, okay?_

I placed them into the toaster and cleaned the counter of the crumbs I'd created. Grabbing a plate from the cabinet, I set it carefully down on the counter and whirled around to get the cream cheese from the fridge.

The toaster popped up my bagel slices; I waited a second before reaching in to grab them and burning my fingers in the process.

I spread the cream cheese on each of the halves, and then settled down on the couch in the living room.

Turning on the television, I flipped through a couple of channels.

"…released earlier last week, the college teen still hadn't regained much of her memory from the night she was attacked. Police in the area are still asking for any information about the situation, or if anyone has seen any suspicious activity, to please contact them as soon as possible. Gosh Bob, that's just horrible. I hope things get settled for that young woman soon," the middle-aged blonde anchorwoman said. The camera flashed to her co-host, a middle-aged man who had a salt-and-pepper colored porno mustache.

He reminded me vaguely of Charlie, though my father's 'stache was still dark-colored.

"It sure is, Beth. Now onto the sunnier side of life; are we looking at more sunshine for the next few days, Dave?"

"Most definitely, Bob. The radar shows-" I changed the channel before they could show Dave, the weatherman.

Hearing it on the news made it suddenly more real; when Emmett had been talking about it at the party the other night, it seemed like some horrible urban legend coming true.

Taking a bite of the bagel before me, I said a quick prayer to keep all of my new friends at the college safe.

Something about it all just didn't sit right with me.

I spent the next few minutes chewing my bagel and vegging out on the TV program in front of me. _'CSI: NY_' always captured my attention, I'd been a fan of Gary Sinise since _'The Stand'_, and the man just got better looking with age.

Half an hour later, the episode ended and I made the conscience decision to turn off the TV, clean up my mess and head out to Emmett and Rose's shop.

Emmett had graciously given me directions to the store before we'd separated on Sunday, and Alice had been a stickler and wrote them down on a piece of paper which had been slipped under my door on Monday morning.

So with bits and pieces remembered from Emmett's talk, and Alice's fancy drawing as my guide, I grabbed the bag containing my volunteer clothes and wallet and headed towards the door. I slipped my Keds on and locked the door as I left.

XOXOXOXO

Sometimes I hated being the daughter of a police chief. Hardwired into the deepest recesses of my brain were the strict protocols I had been taught ever since I was able to reach the pedals of a car.

Each and every time I was unsure of my directions, I had to pull over onto the next street, or off onto the side of the road, to consult my map. It was beneficial so that I wasn't distracted from actually driving, but detrimental to my cause of wanting to get there as soon as possible.

Emmett had said that the garage was, at most, ten miles from the campus. And seeing as I was really close to the campus in the first place, it should only take me a little bit more time to get to the shop.

I pulled over a total of four times before I finally found the tall sign in the air that led me to McCarty's Auto Shop.

As I drove up to the large, white garage doors, I saw Emmett and Rose's silhouettes inside the main office. I parked in the front of it, my truck rattling slightly as I let the engine idle for a moment before turning it off.

At my truck's noise, Rose turned towards it and waved, recognizing me instantly.

I saw her slap Emmett on the shoulder once to get his attention, before gesturing towards the window and the direction to where I sat.

He turned around quickly, and seeing me behind the wheel, he waved like an eager child who hadn't gotten to see Santa Clause for Christmas.

Chuckling to myself quietly, I grabbed my things from the seat next to me and got out of the cab of the truck.

I walked inside the office, smiling at Rose and Emmett in the process. The goofball still hadn't stopped waving like the massively huge kid he was. I waved back excitedly.

"Hiya, Emmy Bear!" I said in a high pitched voice.

"Bellsy!" he boomed before sweeping towards me and giving me a hug the size of Texas.

I let out a small, breathless 'oof' before he set me down. The guy could squeeze the breath out of you without breaking a sweat. That, and crack your back.

Coming over to give me a more reasonable sized hug, Rose pushed Emmett out of the way.

"Em, move. You got to hug her first, now it's my turn," she said with a smirk.

Wrapping my arms around her, I finally addressed her, "Hi Rose, how are you?"

"I'm all right. Someone's got to make sure this galoot over here doesn't go all 'Hulk angry, Hulk smash' on the other workers," she answered, laughing and tilting her head in his direction.

"Hey, I'm the boss-man. Sometimes I've got to get all 'Hulk smash' on their asses," Emmett responded, flexing his muscles during Rosalie's quote, and pointing a finger at us.

"Anyway, since you're here to get your truck looked at, why don't you pull it into the garage and we'll situate the damage," Rose side-stepped.

I saluted her briefly, turning from them and hopping back into the truck.

After I pulled it onto the rails, I got out of the cab and pocketed the keys as Emmett and Rose appeared next to me.

Rosalie was just pulling her mechanics jumpsuit on as Emmett pulled me away from the truck.

"Rose is the best with alignment issues. We're going to raise your truck with the lifts and then she'll crawl under to see if we need to get entirely new parts or to just reposition a few things. Edward said it only pulled a little bit to the left, so it shouldn't be anything too big," Emmett explained to me.

I watched in fascination as Emmett pushed a button behind us and my truck started to lift up into the air.

_I really don't think I'd be able to get under a car that was being lifted into the air, machines or not._

Rose deftly slipped into the pit below the truck once the tires were at my waist.

"Babe! You know you're supposed to wait until I've let go of the button before you do that! You're a damn insurance liability in heels," Emmett snapped.

"Bite me, Em," she responded, flipping him the bird before politely asking him for a flashlight with a bright, white smile.

I chuckled as Emmett growled under his breath.

I shivered, remembering the last time I heard someone growl. _Not nearly as sexy as when Edward does it._

"Where's everyone else? You two can't be the only ones that work here," I asked suddenly, recalling that I hadn't seen another single person since I arrived.

"You got here just at lunchtime. The rest of the crew should be back soon," Rose said from underneath my truck.

"Oh, I'm breaking into your lunch, I'm so sorry guys." _Why hadn't I thought that they'd been here since early this morning? Not everyone can sleep in like you can, Bella._

"No, you're fine. We actually wanted to head out kind of early anyways. Em wants to try and find a caterer today," Rose muffled from below us.

He turned to me, eyes alight. "There's this really good place I heard about that's not too far from here, and I got us an appointment with the head chef."

"Way to go, Emmy Bear. I hope he's good and flexible about pricing. I know that the food is one of the biggest problems for a reception."

"Mostly, it'll be easy stuff to make. Since the wedding's taking place at a look-out, we were thinking of making the reception one big picnic. We still have to go up there a few more times to see if everything we're thinking of will fit, but it should all work out.

"Aww, a picnic? That is so fantastic, guys! Really sweet and romantic," I gushed.

_Jeeze, who knew I had it in me?_

"All right, Bells. You've got a major kink in your alignment. The guys will be able to fix it, but it'll have to stay over night. Our main worker who's the best at reshaping metal had to go home early for some family thing. You'll have your truck back tomorrow by 5 PM," Rose concluded from beneath the truck.

I nodded. "Okay Rose, thanks." Defeated, I turned from the both of them to walk to the opening of the garage.

Tall, evergreen trees stood in clumps off to my left; the sun shined brightly above me making me squint my eyes; off on my right, buildings lined the opposite side of the street.

I did not like the idea of not having any transportation, even if Edward would be taking me home tonight. _Being stuck without a car- SHIT! How would I get back here tomorrow to pick UP my truck?_

"So what time did you want me to take you over to the hospital?" Emmett called out to me as he walked over slowly.

"Em, how am I going to get back here to pick up my truck tomorrow? Which bus line runs near here?" I asked, turning to face him.

Yeah, having a truck that drove straight was peachy and all, but completely pointless if I couldn't get to the damned thing in the first place.

"Chill out, Chiquita Banana," he responded, holding his hands out in defense. "One question at a time, okay?" he added.

I nodded at him.

"Let's tackle these in order, all right? Firstly, what time do you want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked slowly.

"Er, what time is your appointment with the caterer?" I responded.

"Three."

"Then 2:30, unless that's cutting it close for you guys, I don't want to make you late," I replied shyly.

"You won't, 2:30 it is. Next, Edward's taking you home, maybe he can bring you back? I'm not entirely sure what his class schedule is on Thursdays, but I'd be willing to bet that he'd bring you back here, free of charge. There's also Alice, and Jasper," he reasoned.

Again, I nodded. I hated relying on people, it made me feel helpless and like I was a burden.

"Four-twelve," he said suddenly.

I looked at him in confusion.

"It's the four-twelve line that runs closest to here, in case Edward's got something going on tomorrow and you can't get a hold of anyone else," he clarified.

I smiled at him; he made me feel better about the situation.

Yes, relying on people didn't make me feel the best, but it also meant that I had friends. Anything I would do for them, they would do for me, almost like family.

XOXOXOXO

The rest of the crew showed up about a half an hour after I'd gotten there. I stuck around the office, helping Emmett with paperwork and watching Rose talk smack along with the other mechanics in the garage.

"You know, Bellsy, you've got some awesome organizing skills. Ever think about being someone's secretary, or receptionist?" Emmett asked as I took a sip of the soda I'd gotten from the vending machine.

"Oh please, Em," I responded, rolling my eyes at him.

"I'm being serious. I bet it pays a lot better than what you're currently getting," he said in a persuasive voice.

"As much as it sounds like a dream come true, I highly doubt anyone's looking for someone like that at the moment. Plus, I think some of it requires schooling or something," I argued.

"We could use a person who strictly does bookkeeping and organizing stuff around here. It'd give me time to actually help with the turn-around time for repairs," he reasoned.

"Emmy, are you serious?" I asked, turning to face him.

"How much do you make over at the mall now?" he asked seriously.

"Minimum wage," I said slowly, ashamedly.

"So that's what, like… $8.50 an hour?" Emmett guessed.

I nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"I'll hire you, starting wage of $10 an hour," he offered.

"Bear, don't toy with me," I said with a menacing tone in my voice.

Really, if he was offering the money, he'd better be serious as hell about backing up his claim.

"At least come work here until you find a better job! Bella, just think about it, you're miserable at that fucking store, admit it. It's not where you really belong and deep down you know it. Not to mention the fact that your boss is an über prick. You'll get benefits too, paid holidays and all of that other kind of corporate shit. Please Bella, just sleep on it, okay? Don't toss it out the window just yet," he pleaded.

I looked at him carefully. _Why did he care so much that I was unhappy at my job?_

The sincerity in his eyes sent me crumbling to me knees, metaphorically speaking of course.

I sighed heavily. "Okay Emmy Bear, I'll think about it. But only because you're a giant love muffin," I lamented lamely.

He smiled a huge, grateful smile at me before swooping down and crushing me against his chest for another hug. The boy seriously needed to go into his own back-cracking profession; he'd make millions in no time.

I slowly patted his back in return; the whole Cullen/McCarty family was turning me into a large pile of marshmallow goo. I didn't stand a chance around any single one of them.

_Oh Lord, and now I've got to go and spend the next several hours around Edward, the most goo-worthy person I've ever met._

As Emmett let me go, I straightened out my clothes, taking a chance to look down at my crotch once again. _Panties, if you go missing when we're finally around Edward later, I will not be held liable for what goes on down there as a result, capiché? _

A resulting twinge of my lady-bits was all the affirmation I needed.

_Jesus, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?_

Another twinge graced my nether region.

_You're praying that my panties go missing, aren't you?_

My body was still as a stone. I imagined my private parts had eyes and a mouth, looking away and whistling as to not attract any attention to itself.

_You know what this means, don't you? It means that I should've bought some underwear at Victoria's Secret while I had the chance. That way, when my panties run amuck, I would be able to offer a much higher reward. Those fuckers are made of gold._

XOXOXOXO

A/N: Thanks to Ellie and Amelia for being fantastic betas. Also, thanks to my mom for all of her support.

The Giggle Snort Awards are accepting nominations. So if you've read a fic recently that's made you giggle, snort, chortle, spray liquid out of your nose, or has had you rolling around on the floor in full out guffaws, please nominate it.

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I'll be up for auction during The Fandom Gives Back, Eclipse edition starting June 26th at 10 AM EST. Big on me if you'd like me to write something for you, $5.00 gets you anything your deepest heart desires ;). Auction ends July 2nd at 11:59 PM EST (8:59 PM PST). It's all for a very good cause!

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Please leave a review!


	15. About Time

There's a link to the Twilighted forum thread for Chances, it's in my profile. I'd like to see you there sometime. I post teasers, if that's any incentive for you.

Mom- Thank you for your unwavering support, and for taking care of me when I was in a dark place.

Lady Tater- Thank you for always believing that I always had it in me.

Amelia- Thank you for looking over my craptastic chapters that are filled with more errors than I could count, sweets!

XOXOXOXO

Chapter 15: About Time

XOXOXOXO

Waiting for three o'clock to roll around was almost as fun as having my kidneys removed while I was still awake and under no anesthesia.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy myself, no, far from it. It was the actual waiting that was killing me.

My mind went back to Em's offer. It was one hell of a proposition, to be truthful. I could easily see myself working in the shop, interacting with the customers would be a piece of cake since I was already used to it. I would be in charge of my own space; I wouldn't have to take Galen's shit any longer.

_Oh Jesus, what a relief that would be!_

It didn't take a genius to see that the benefits of taking the offer outweighed the notion of staying where I was.

I continued to watch Emmett and Rosalie interact with their customers, their workers, and even with each other in the rare moments they could steal away. It made me crave the affection that they so obviously shared.

I allowed myself to day dream for a moment, imagining myself with Edward as I saw Emmett and Rosalie behave.

Envisioning a life where Edward was with me every night, where he'd caress my cheek with the back of his fingers just because he could, made butterflies appear in the pit of my stomach and my lady bits twitch.

_Don't get ahead of yourself._

Emmett came into the room then, breathing quickly as if he'd just gone for an invigorating jog. "Hey Bellsy, something came up with the caterer and we've got to go now," he said while grabbing a jacket hanging on the coat-rack next to the door.

I jumped up from my seat and quickly gathered up my belongings. "Sure, okay," I breathed out.

My heart rate picked up and I started to freak out a little bit. Edward hadn't said what time he would be at the hospital, and I didn't know exactly what to do without him there.

I knew to check in with the head volunteer representative, but if they assigned me to some different part of the hospital that I wasn't familiar with, I was up Shit Creek without a paddle.

_Well, everyone's got to start somewhere, right?  
_

I'd fumble through whatever task they assigned to me and smile pleasantly while I was doing it. _What other choice did I have?_

Following Emmett out to his Jeep, I saw that Rosalie was talking to one of the other mechanics, a tall, blonde man in coveralls. She gestured with her hands, ticking things off with her fingers as he nodded.

Emmett held the door open for me to climb into the back seat as Rose made her way over to us. Once situated, Emmett pushed his seat back, put on his jacket, and hopped in, shutting the door quickly behind him. He forced the keys into the ignition, turning on the car just as Rose jumped into the passenger's seat.

We raced out of the parking lot and were on the highway in a flash of rubber and squealing tires.

The top covering of the Jeep had been taken off, and the wind rushed around our faces as we sped down the road towards the hospital. I would've attempted to talk, but didn't feel the need to get a taste of my own hair once I opened my mouth.

Besides, I don't think they could've heard me even if I tried to say anything.

This caterer must be the shit, otherwise if a cop resembling anything like Charlie had seen us hauling ass down the road he would've thrown a shit-fit bigger than the great wrath of Zeus and caught our asses.

Getting extremely cold from sitting in the backseat, though the sun was shining down fully now on my skin, I rubbed my arms to try and keep myself warm.

In what felt like no time at all, Emmett's Jeep pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

I don't even remember getting out of the car, things were happening so fast. But there I was, a minute later, wishing them luck with the caterer as they sped off and waved from a distance.

_When you really want something, you drop everything just to go get it._

My thundering heart started to slow down now that I wasn't in a hurry. I turned slowly around and started walking towards the front doors of the hospital.

_Well, at least I'll have a little time to make myself look presentable before Edward gets here._

Looking around me, I realized that the hospital was beautiful. For only having to come here once or twice in the past, the façade of the place was outstanding and modern in decoration. The creamy exterior of the building contrasted elegantly against the dark greens of the vegetation that surrounded it.

I walked slowly towards the front door, biding my time in the last of the September sunshine. As I drew closer, I watched people milling around the doors, some entering the establishment, and some leaving. Some people waited for rides, while others paced in front of the doors for…

_Was that Edward?_

_Should he be here this early?_

My stomach dropped uncomfortably, knots instantly forming as I took in his posture.

_Uh oh, I don't feel so good all of a sudden._

_Why is he pacing?_

With trepidation, I continued walking toward the front doors, toward Edward.

My left hand cradled my abdomen, trying to soothe the growing ache in my body as my mind raced with possibilities for his behavior.

_Is he okay?_

_Did something happen?_

_Did he change his mind about me?_

_Did he regret the kiss?_

_Oh my God, that must be it._

_He's pacing because he wants to tell me that it was all a mistake; that he's sorry it ever happened._

_Jesus, Bella, you should know better than to get your hopes up. Of course he doesn't want to be with you; not when he could be with tall, blonde Molly Sims._

My feet shuffled across the dark pavement. Subconsciously, I was walking towards my own execution and I didn't want to go through with it.

Far from it, I wanted to turn tail and run away as fast as my stumbling feet could carry me.

I'd made a commitment to the people at the hospital, and I wasn't about to give up on those ill individuals.

_Yeah, right._

About ten feet away from him, he finally noticed me approaching. His eyes lit up momentarily before snapping back down to look at his wrist watch.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and cracked a small, timid smile towards him the next time he looked up at me.

He didn't return it.

My smile turned into a grimace as I dropped my gaze to my feet and continued moving forward.

The usual crackle of energy that flowed between us typically made me feel extraordinary, but now all I felt was dread.

With my heart thudding erratically inside my chest and my thoughts running a mile a minute, I stood before Edward and bared my defeated existence to him, ready for the proverbial axe to fall.

_Just make it quick, that's all I ask._

"Bella, we need to talk," he said seriously.

_Oh, Hell._

_This does not look good. No wonderful conversation ever starts with, 'we need to talk'. _

'_We need to find a secluded closet and hump like bunnies', now that's a fantastic conversation I'd like to have._

A cold rush ran through my body as I prepared myself for the worst.

_God, we're not even dating and he's already breaking up with me._

_Fan-fucking-tastic._

_Way to be aces, Bella._

_Stall!_

"But, um, don't we have to be on duty, or something?" I mumbled.

"We've still got some time before we're due to start. Really, this is important and it can't wait," he said as he grabbed my wrist in his strong hand.

I nodded numbly at him, unable to bring my face to meet his and willing the thrum of energy that passed through our skin to go away.

If I wasn't going to be feeling it any more in the future, I didn't want to be tortured by it any longer.

I felt like I was a puppy about to be scolded, or a lamb being led to slaughter.

_Mommy, this boy I really like did a 180 on me and now my heart's all broken. Fly over here and take care of me because I feel like poopy, please._

He turned from me and started walking through the entryway of the hospital, nodding at people as they each sent greetings to him.

Waves of anguish washed over me as I imagined the words he would use to dismiss me from his life.

"_Bella, you're not right for me, it's all been a big error in judgment. I've decided to take Tanya up on her offer; she's not as pathetic as you are anyways."_

"_You're just not good enough for me. I don't want you."_

"_You're crazier than a person tripping on mushrooms and I can't have that in my life."_

He kept leading me down a series of hallways; my mind was beginning to get topsy-turvy with all of the turns we were making. If he left me here, I didn't know if I'd ever find my way back to civilization.

Finally, he stopped in front of a door and turned the handle, ushering me in before coming in after me and closing the door softly behind him.

I walked forward slowly, taking in the small room surrounding me. If I reached out my arms fully, I could barely touch the opposite sides of the room, that's how compact it was. The walls were white, but had so many small things posted on them that one would think the walls were multi-colored in shades of Post-It pastel.

A small counter lined one wall, where a laptop stood open to a photo-collage screensaver. The photo showed a young boy with a missing tooth waving wildly at the camera while at the beach. It switched to a glowing Esme, pleasantly plump with a round belly being showcased by her arms wrapping tenderly along her abdomen. The next was a family portrait of Carlisle, Esme, and Edward taken for Christmas, it was recent; Edward looked much like he did now.

We were in Carlisle's office, of course. Why was it so tiny, though? Maybe he had a bigger office upstairs or something, and this one was used in lieu of that whenever he needed something quick.

Edward wouldn't just barge into someone's office unannounced unless he knew the person into whose domain he was barging into.

"Bella, please look at me," he pleaded sadly from behind me.

Heaving a deep breath, I turned slowly toward him, my eyes sad and starting to water.

He gazed at me, eyes cheerless and mouth pursed uncomfortably. He was absently chewing on his bottom lip. When I chewed on my lip, he thought it sexy. When he did it, I thought it worrisome, like he had too much on his mind and I wanted to make it better; I wanted to make him better. I had to resist the urge to run my finger over it and make him stop because my heart would break if I performed that one last act of affection when I knew it was never meant to be.

"We kissed," he stated plainly.

_Uh, yeah. Twice to be more exact._

_I knew that __**that**__ was what __**this**__ was about._

I nodded at him. _Really, what else could I do? Let the word vomit from my mouth loose?_

_In addition to having my heart broken, I'd look like a complete idiot once again?_

No, thanks.

"It was an amazing kiss," he said softly.

_No shit, Sherlock. Why would I have done it again if it wasn't worth doing the first time? Get the heart fail over with all ready, I'm getting antsy._

Again I nodded at him, chewing on my top lip to keep from saying something stupid.

"I really like you, Bella."

_But…?_

"I've never felt this way about anyone before."

_Get it the fuck over already; do you like playing with my heartstrings?_

He took a step closer to me and I took a small step away from him. In the enclosed space, I was pressed against the counter quickly.

"There's something between us and… Jesus, Bella, I like it."

_He… what?_

Hope flashed through my body.

"So do I," I admitted sheepishly.

"I want to get to know you, though. Maybe we can go out or something, you know, when you're not working and I don't have to study."

"That sounds really nice, I'd like that." _Damn blush always making an appearance at the wrong times._

He let out a sigh of relief and flashed me that crooked smile that had come to make me giggle.

Not being able to hold in my laughter, I let it all out.

"What's so funny?" he asked, grinning at me, confusion in his eyes.

"I thought, God, I thought you were going to tell me to fuck off," I blurted out through my giggles.

"Why?" he asked, perplexed.

"I feel so stupid for even thinking it, but I thought that you and Tanya were, you know…" I trailed off. Finally, I could talk to Edward about the whole reason I wasn't so… receptive… to his earlier advances.

"Tanya? Are you on something? What made you think that?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"Remember the night that we met?" I started off hesitantly.

"Vividly, but go on," he nodded.

I blushed at his choice of words and felt my face heat up, but the words continued to flow out of my mouth without any restraint.

"Well, the first time I ever saw you, Jessica said that you and Tanya were engaged."

He was silent for a moment. I counted my breaths. Different emotions flitted along his strong features; confusion, anger, and lastly, understanding. When I got to two-hundred thirty two inhales, he spoke again.

"Is that why you were always skittish around me?"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't about to hit on some other person's fiancé and I wasn't about to start shit between Tanya and myself."

"You could've come out and asked me," he stated plainly, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

_Oh, yeah, I could see that happening perfectly. Gee Edward, you're a fuckhot piece of man meat and I was just wondering if I could have your babies? Oh, and how's the wedding planning with Tanya going, by the way?_

"Yeah, but I thought it wasn't my place. Then she was all handsy with you at Alice's party and that kind of sealed the deal, at least in my head," I explained.

He was quiet for a moment.

"So every time I was actively singling you out, your running off was an attempt to be virtuous?" he questioned finally.

"Oh honey, I'm on such a completely opposite spectrum of virtue that I'm practically the devil," I scoffed, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

"Is that so?" he asked as he arched an eyebrow at me, a scandalous smirk on his face.

"Uh-huh, just call me Miss Horny." _Miss Horny? For reals? Where was this shit coming from?_

He stalked closer to me; two more steps and he'd be on top of me.

_Hmm, not a bad idea._

"Well, Miss Horny, if you don't mind indulging me for a moment, I'd like an apology from you." _Only if you call me Miss Horny from now on._

"Oh yeah? What for?" I asked, gulping and becoming incredibly aware of the counter digging into my back.

"For not trusting me enough, even as a friend, to ask a simple question," he said, placing his hands on the surface behind me, trapping me inside his strong arms.

"For that, I'm sorry. If I would've found the guts sooner, we could be on our third date by now," I smirked.

"I'll settle for a kiss," he reasoned, shrugging casually.

"But Mister Cullen, I don't kiss before the first date," I replied, bringing my hand up to my chest in mock surprise and putting fake shock into my tone.

"Smart-ass," he retorted, his face moving slowly closer to mine.

"You betcha. Now pucker up because I'm a hooker," I giggled. _When could I ever deny this man, especially when I wanted it with all of my being? Oh right, fifty times before this one._

He leaned forward and his lips captured my own. I would never tire of kissing his soft, warm lips. His mouth was my new addiction, and I wasn't in the mood to quit any time soon. Sparks flew; tingling zaps of electricity flew through every particle of my body, warmth spread around me.

Perfection.

I had to remind myself that we were in Carlisle's office at the hospital, otherwise my lips would've meandered down their own path and all of my virtuosity would've been thrown out the window in a heartbeat.

"I can't ever stop kissing you, it'd be a crime against humanity," Edward mumbled around my lips as his hands wrapped around my waist.

"Well, Mr. Cullen, you're going to have to because we're supposed to be on shift in about five minutes," I said while giggling softly and bringing my arms up to hold onto his neck.

I wasn't about to let him make me late for volunteer duties; I did have a little shred of dignity left inside of me to keep my commitment to the hospital. Granted, my dignity and the rest of my being wanted to get inside his pants like no other, but I wouldn't break down that easily.

Except that I really didn't want to let go of him, either.

A soft knock on the door made us jump apart.

"Dr. Cullen, the patient in room- oh, you're not Dr. Cullen." A slightly plump, older nurse I'd never seen before came into the office when no one had answered her knock. "I thought he said… but what are you two doing in here, Edward?"

Edward cleared his throat before responding, "Hello, Mrs. Cope. My father said we could use his office to talk in private. We were just about to go start our volunteer rounds. I'm sure he's around here somewhere." He nodded curtly at her before grabbing my hand and pulling me along behind him, out the door and into the well lit hallway.

"Carlisle really gave you permission to corner me inside his office like that?" I asked breathlessly. I wasn't sure who Mrs. Cope was, but I didn't want her to automatically hate me for making-out with Edward inside Carlisle's private area.

"Not to corner you, but to give us a private moment to talk. Believe me, I didn't want to risk any kind of rejection in front of other people, love."

I blushed. "Did you just call me 'love'?"

"Of all the things to pick out of that sentence, you pick the word love. Yes, it's a term of endearment. Get used to it, you'll be hearing it pretty often," he said matter-of-factly.

"And what am I supposed to call you? Honey? Sweetcakes? Stud Muffin?" I asked, chortling.

"You don't have to call me anything but my name. I like hearing you say it," he said innocently from in front of me, still leading us down the hallway.

_I bet you do…_

Dozens of inappropriate images flashed through my mind, all of them including us in various shades of undress. He growled at me to say his name as he-

"You should get changed."

_Totally not the direction my brain was headed in, but if you insist…_

He led us farther along the hallway, coming to stop in front of a locker room door. Disengaging my hand from his, I ditched inside and quickly changed clothes.

Reemerging a few minutes later, he turned to me and said, "That must've been the fastest I've ever seen a girl change outfits."

"Well, not all of us need to look model perfect," I replied, taking down my hair from its bun and running my fingers through the locks.

"You're just a natural beauty,"

_Way to be smooth, Casanova._

I felt my face heat up as I subconsciously chewed on my bottom lip. I was never comfortable with getting compliments.

Edward's hand reached up and came to cradle my cheek, his thumb running over my lip, subtly pulling it from my teeth as his digit grazed my skin.

"You need to stop doing that, or we'll never make it to duty," he said huskily.

_Ooh, I likey husky talking Edward._

I grinned and kissed the pad of his finger quickly before moving away from him.

Laughing lightly, I sprinted down the hall towards the meeting area for volunteers. I could hear footfalls echo against the linoleum behind me, signaling his quick approach. I felt like a little kid, giddily enjoying life.

I skidded to a stop right outside the doorway, not wanting to burst in breathing heavily and looking like I wasn't taking this job seriously. I heard low, angry voices coming from the room, and my brow furrowed in confusion.

Edward, upon seeing me stopped in the hallway, walked up to me casually, breathing a little harder than normal from running after me, but in better condition than I was. I reached out a hand to stop him and gestured for him to be quiet and wait a second.

"…you understand, Jessica?" It was Tanya, she was snarling at Jessica.

"Bu-but I-I-I didn't realize that-" Jessica stammered.

"Of course you didn't realize, you silly little girl. How could you when you've got your own agenda with Mike?" Tanya spit.

"I love Mike, okay?" Jessica said strongly.

I didn't know what the fuck was going on, but it didn't sound too good for Jessica. Edward leaned in closer so that he could hear as well. I was acutely aware of his face right next to mine, the warmth radiating off of his face sent miniscule shivers down my back.

"Sure you do. And I _love_ Edward, but that's all been blown to pieces because you couldn't keep your stupid mouth shut!" Tanya sneered.

My breath caught in my throat. _That's what this was about? Oh Hell to the no._

"So? I didn't know it wasn't supposed to slip! I thought that you two _were_ engaged, Tanya! You can't blame me for thinking so when you kept spouting off things you were going to do for the wedding!"

Before I had time to think, I'd marched purposefully into the room, ready to throw my two cents into their conversation. They were in the corner closest to the window; Tanya was towering above Jessica, invading her personal space as she threw insults at her. They didn't notice me come in.

"You need to stop this," I called out. They both turned to me, startled.

"This is none of your business," Tanya snapped at me. Then, turning back to Jessica, she added, "I'll be talking to Daddy tonight and you'd be extremely lucky to keep your job."

"What are you going to tell him?" Jessica whimpered.

"Anything it takes to get you out of here," Tanya said, venom dripping from her sugary-sweet voice.

"Excuse me, but you're throwing insults at one of my friends and she doesn't deserve it," I replied.

_Sure, Jessica wasn't my best friend, but she was still a person and people had feelings._

Tanya rounded on me, ready to rip into me as well.

Bring.

It.

On.

"You, little miss pathetic, only wish you had the relationship that Edward and I do. Why, if you actually worked at this hospital, I'd have you thro-"

"That's enough," Edward said sternly as he walked in.

I turned around to see him striding forward smoothly, his hands clenched at his sides. His face was set in hard lines, jaw clenched, brow furrowed and nostrils flared. I'd never seen him angry before. Besides the quick glimpse at his face earlier when I brought up the faux engagement, I didn't know what to expect from him. He stood slightly in front of me, blocking Tanya's assault.

"Edward! What are you doing here? It's not your usual day to volunteer!" Tanya back-pedaled, her demeanor changing drastically from über bitch to perfect princess in two seconds flat.

_That's right, honey, you'd better try and save your ass. Cause you just got caught!_

"You have no right, Tanya, none whatsoever, to treat people the way that you do. It's disrespectful, not to mention just downright mean and cruel," he said strongly, his voice hard as steel.

Tanya stood gaping at us.

_What do you have to say now, huh?_

"I've known you for far too long. I know how you act and I haven't done one single thing about it. That was my fault. Maybe if I had talked to you sooner, you may not be the prissy diva you think you are," he continued.

"Edward- what I mean- this is-" Tanya sputtered indignantly from in front of us.

"No, Tanya. I won't listen to you anymore. Whatever spell you think you hold over me doesn't exist. Whatever relationship you think that we have doesn't exist. The fact of the matter is that you think you're privileged and I'm sick of you of treating people that I care for without dignity and respect."

Tanya stood shocked. Probably no one in her life had ever talked to her like this before.

"Jessica is one of the friendliest people I know; I count her as one of my friends. She doesn't deserve to have her career threatened just because she 'spilled your little secret'," Edward mocked with air quotes as I motioned for Jessica to come towards us. She slid out of her trance, moving quickly before Tanya could reach out with her stiletto high heel and puncture her with it.

It was like watching a car wreck on the side of the road. You couldn't help but look at the carnage that had unfolded.

"Alice is my cousin and the best designer at her school. She put a lot of effort into her party the other night and you dumped all over her just because it wasn't what you would have done. She deserves your respect because she's another human being, someone with feelings and emotions," Edward said stone-faced. He then turned towards Jessica, who had been standing next to me while Edward had told her off. "Jessica, you can go back to work now," he said softly.

Jessica scrambled out of the room so fast I thought she'd done a magic trick. One second she was there, the next she was gone. _Look at that folks, its amazing!_

He motioned me forward with his hand, and I stepped up quickly. I hated confrontation, but I loved it when bad people got their just desserts. Karmic justice ruled in my book.

"Bella's, well… she's something more to me than just a friend. You don't even know her. Hell, I barely even know her, but she's got more kindness and loyalty in her little finger than I know you do in your entire body, Tanya." He reached out his hand and grasped mine confidently, entwining out fingers together smoothly as if we'd been doing it all our lives.

"She deserves _nothing_ from you because you don't have anything good left to give. You've already tainted Jessica and Alice, I won't let you get anywhere _near_ Bella," he said, his voice low with anger.

He tugged on my hand. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

Spinning on his heel, he did an about face and marched us out of the room without so much as another word to Tanya, who was still standing near the window in stunned silence.

We headed back down the hallway. I kept in time with Edward and his rush of adrenaline. Anger does that to a person; revs them up and then rides along on the coat-tails of your blood rushing through your veins faster than a Lamborghini at a speed trail race.

I didn't know what to say to him. The standard, 'hey, are you okay?' didn't sound like it was enough to cover what had just happened.

With his free hand, Edward reached inside his polo shirt pocket and produced his cell phone. Flipping it open expertly, he pressed some buttons and was talking to Carlisle in a matter of seconds. It seems he caught him on a break of some sorts, lucky us.

"No, Dad, I hate to bug you with this, but Tanya needs to be removed from her position here at the hospital. She's abusing her privileges. I have some proof, but I can't get it to you now. I'll e-mail it to you once I get to a computer," he said into the phone.

I wondered what kind of evidence he had. Surely it couldn't be just his and my say so; it had to be something else. If it went to court it'd be a battle of he said, she said.

We passed through a whole bunch of different hallways, and once I finally realized where we were, we were headed out the door. Great, it was my second day of volunteering and a) I didn't know my way around the hospital yet and 2) I wasn't staying.

"Yeah, Dad, don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll call you once I've gotten things straightened out, okay? Thanks, bye." He flipped it closed and placed it in his pants pocket before turning to me.

We were in the parking garage when he finally spoke to me. "You don't mind if we skip out on today, right? I wouldn't be able to focus on anything around me and I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be much help in there," he asked apologetically.

I shook my head. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be much help either, considering the fact that when Edward got angry, it got me turned on.

A lot.

I wanted to yell at Edward to slow down, that my legs were starting to burn with the pace that he had set, but it wouldn't have mattered because in mere seconds we had arrived at his car. Being the perfect gentleman that he was, he opened the door for me first. After making sure I was inside, he closed the door and walked around to his side. Being the gentlewoman I was, I had already reached over and unlocked his side.

He muttered a quick thanks before slamming the key into the ignition and driving out of the hospital parking lot like a bat out of Hell.

Music blared to life from the car stereo as Edward pushed one of the buttons on the steering wheel. I didn't think he'd listen to any rock, but Finger Eleven sang out some verse about being paralyzed. _Huh, well you learn something new every day._

In no time at all, we'd reached my apartment complex. Already knowing the code to get in, we drove smoothly through the gates and down the long lane towards my humble home.

I wasn't ready to be separated from him yet; so once we parked, I asked the only question that seemed prudent, "What proof do you have about Tanya?"

_Oh yeah, I'm that smooth._

"Well, if you'll let me use your computer, I can show you."

_Why, Mr. Angrypants, please do come in. Is there anything I could get for you? Water? Sandwich? Me, naked on my bed covered in chocolate sauce and begging you to ravage me completely?_

"Sure, you're always welcome," I said before climbing out of the car.

We walked up the three flights of stairs, me leading the way, in silence. I couldn't help but sway my hips on purpose, just a little. Hell, I didn't know if he was watching, but if he was, I hoped it would pay off sometime later.

Once at the top, I unlocked my door and disarmed the alarm while Edward walked in behind me and closed the door softly, turning the deadbolt into place.

"Um, my computer's in the corner there, it's a little slow, but should still work for you," I said while gesturing towards the living room.

He nodded at me before heading off in the direction I pointed, grabbing a cord out of the messenger bag he'd brought up from the car.

"Did you want anything to eat, or something to drink maybe?" I asked as I headed into the kitchen.

I was at the sink when I heard the monitor and hard-drive kick into life. A second later and Edward was in the kitchen with me. "Sure, a drink sounds good," he replied, leaning against my counter casually.

"Anything special, or is it bartender's choice?" I quipped.

He chuckled lightly and stepped closer to me. "It depends. What's on the menu?"

_Me! _

_Oh! Oh! Say me! Say me!_

_Say me for the love of all that's holy!_

_A little whipped cream bikini and we could have a case Varsity Blues on our hands._

Smiling coyly at him, I leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Water or apple juice?"

I couldn't keep a straight face, my mouth split into a smile and laughter filled my voice.

I tried to step away from him, but before I could get out of his grasp, he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me to him. Leaning down to whisper into my ear he said, "You are such a tease."

_Hell mother-fucking yeah, I'm a tease. I haven't had sex in a while, but that still doesn't mean I'd give it up that fucking easy._

_Okay, so maybe for Edward, I would. Be he's the only exception! He's like… sex on a stick!_

I turned my head towards him and whispered back, "Why yes, yes I am," and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before twisting out of his arms quickly.

The computer dinged on the desk before Edward had a chance to respond. I giggled at the look on his face. The 'I-don't-want-to-leave-but-I-have-to-leave' expression was always a classic.

"Go forth and uncover the demise of Miss Denali, young detective. I shall join you momentarily," I said in an Olde English accent while waving him off.

Edward chuckled and shook his head before going back to the living room.

_You. Are. A. Loon._

_Yes, but I'm a happy loon._

Despite what had happened earlier, I was thrilled to have Edward alone with me in my apartment. I just had to keep my hands to myself. I already knew it was a lose-lose situation.

Grabbing two waters from the fridge, I made my way out to Edward, who was already sitting at my desk with his phone plugged into my computer's hard drive. I handed him the water bottle before sitting down in the couch next to the desk.

"So you don't have to have any special programs to run your phone on my computer?" I asked before taking a sip of water.

"Nope, you've already got the software I need to get our proof." I loved how he said 'our'.

"Okay, so I'll bite. What's the evidence?" I asked, leaning forward.

He leaned forward and turned on the speakers. "Listen."

"… your business. I'll be talking to daddy tonight and you'd be extremely lucky to keep your job." Tanya's voice filtered through the machine.

"What are you going to tell him?" Jessica whimpered.

I gasped, "You recorded…?"

He turned to me and nodded as Tanya's voice, still sugary-sweet with that hint of venom, passed through the speakers. "Anything it takes to get you out of here."

"Excuse me, but you're throwing insults at one of my friends and she doesn't deserve it." My voice came on the speakers then, and I turned to Edward as he lowered the volume back down. "How much did you get?"

"Enough to prove the misconduct that she's been involved in," he said smugly.

"And you thought of this on the fly?" I asked in disbelief. I wouldn't have thought about anything like that.

"Well, it was tough having to wait so long. I couldn't let you just go in there and pounce on her, but I didn't want her to make trouble for you either," he said while shrugging nonchalantly.

_Aw, how sweet._

"What you did back there, standing up for Jessica and Alice and… for me… it was great," I spoke up, clearing my throat a little bit.

"You did it first," he replied, turning his attention back toward the computer.

"Yes, but I didn't have anything to lose. What if she manipulates her father into getting you permanently kicked out of the hospital, or Carlisle fired for some God-awful reason? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything like that happened," I fretted, wringing my hands in my lap.

"Hey, with this, there's nothing but proof. No 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's about it. If, for some reason, Tanya does go to her dad and tries to do anything, we have this on our side. It's irrefutable evidence. And as soon as I can get into my e-mail, I'll be sending it to my father as well as Alice just to be on the safe side. But do you want to know what's even better?" he comforted me, shifting his gaze from the monitor to my anxious face.

"What?" I asked, scrunching my brow.

"I've got video of it, too. My phone's about an inch bigger than my shirt pocket, so the lens caught everything," he gloated.

"No way," I gasped, my eyes turning to the size of saucers.

"I'll show you. Look at the screen," he replied, pointing to the screen.

I got up from my place on the couch and looked over his shoulder at the computer. Sure enough, as Edward replayed the file from the beginning, my back came onto the screen and so did Tanya and Jessica's faces.

"God, I wish I could get Galen on something like this. That way everyone would know he's such a prick," I said enviously.

"I thought everyone already did; it's so obvious. Why don't you have a cell phone, Bella?" he asked from out of the blue, turning to face me.

"Uh, cause I can't afford it," I said while climbing back onto the couch and looking at the floor. I didn't like talking about my money issues. It made me feel weak and like I was a failure. But since I was going to take up Emmett's offer to work at the shop, I could afford some luxury items in my life.

I caught sight of Edward's expression, thoughtful and hesitant at the same time. It was like he wanted to say something, but didn't quite know what to actually say.

_I don't think he knows how hard it can actually be for someone as unprivileged as I am._

"I didn't tell you my good news," I said, brightening up.

"What's that?" he asked eagerly, grateful for the subject change.

"Emmett offered me a job at the shop, being a secretary-kind of greeter thing," I said proudly, nodding my head in affirmation at the end.

Edward's eyes popped open in surprise. "That's fantastic, Bella!"

"Yep, he's going to be paying me more than I'm currently getting paid plus holidays off and vacation time and benefits…" I trailed off dreamily.

"Plus he's not a jerk! Well, most of the time he's not. Just don't cross him on Mondays until he's had his coffee," he joked.

"I'll keep that in mind. But first things, first is that I've got to put my two weeks notice in at Fuego. I'll be sad to go, but this is a much better option for me in the long run."

Edward nodded in agreement, his eyes back to the computer screen. "How do you get online?"

I fixed it up for him, opening windows and such on the desktop so that he could get his task out of the way.

"Thanks. Everyone's got different operating systems for the web and I didn't know what yours was. Though I could've poked and prodded around on your desktop for a while, I didn't really want to have to buy you a new computer if I broke this one," he said, grimacing slightly.

I laughed and excused myself to go and change into more comfortable clothing while Edward worked. By the time I came back into the living room, wearing a pair of beige shorts and a white wife beater, my hair down, Edward had turned off my computer and was sitting on my couch watching TV.

Plopping down next to him, I tried my best to keep my distance by sitting on the opposite side of the couch. My inner pervert was silently pushing me closer and closer until our legs were touching.

_What the fuck is this shit? I could shimmy my way along the couch without really realizing it until I was actually touching him?_

I was so screwed.

Edward noticed as soon as I'd gotten close to him. He slung an arm across my shoulder and I cuddled up to him, wrapping my legs underneath me and off to the side.

His fingers made small circular strokes across my bare skin. I had no idea what he was watching on TV, but it sure as hell wasn't capturing my attention.

"Did you want to go in and give your two weeks notice today? I'll go with you," he asked suddenly.

"No, I'm all right. That's something I need to do myself, like a rite of passage or something. I'm fine sitting here with you. Unless you want to go to the mall…?"

He swallowed noisily before clearing his throat, "No I'm, ah, fine just sitting here with you, too."

Without really thinking about it, one of my hands reached up and rested on his chest. Before I knew it, my fingers were swirling around in small circles on his shirt.

"Edward, are you all right? You're kind of fidgeting."

It was true. While his hand was still making circles on my shoulder, his knee was bouncing up and down and his other hand kept going from his hair back to his lap, and then back to his hair again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to go and use your bathroom real quick, okay?"

"Sure," I said as he got up from the couch and headed towards the back of my apartment.

_He's nervous. He doesn't know what to do and he's nervous as all fuck._

_So am I, that doesn't mean that I'm fidgeting all the time, though._

I scooted over to where Edward had been sitting, the fabric warm under my touch, and leaned against the armrest.

_He's watching Dora the Explorer? What the hell?_

I was flipping through the channels while he came back, intent on finding something that didn't use an animated monkey as a sidekick.

A few minutes later, just when I thought I'd have to call search and rescue to go find his ass, Edward rejoined me on the couch. He took my position as I'd taken his. His hands lifted my feet so that he could sit as close to me as possible, and have my legs in his lap at the same time.

I settled the TV on some music channel, I didn't care which one as Edward had started rubbing my feet.

It was a nice sentiment, truly it was. But after working three years in a job where I only sat down for fifty minutes a day made my toes incredibly tender. Any kind of touch pretty much felt like tickling.

I couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped my lips and the way I pulled my feet away from him two seconds after touching them.

"What, are you ticklish?" he asked, an evil glint in his eyes and the corners of his mouth turning up.

"Nooooo," I said, trying to keep the grin off my face.

He grabbed one of my feet and ran a long finger down the middle of it.

"AH! Edward, stop it!" I squirmed.

He held on to my foot and continued his tickling spree.

"Oh, I think I found a tickle spot. Hm, where else are you ticklish, I wonder?" he said playfully.

My laughter bounced off the walls, punctuated by shrieks every once in a while.

His hands traveled slowly up my calves, lightly touching my skin. Part of me found it ticklish; while the other part found it erotic, giving me the shivers.

Soon, he reached the sides of my thighs. While that part wasn't ticklish, the way he reached under me and got the skin on the back of my legs was highly arousing. Acting like I'd been burned with a red hot poker, my hips thrust into the air accompanied by a very unladylike 'ACK!'

"What the hell was that?" he asked, laughing loudly.

My face, already flushed from gasping and laughing, avoided his gaze as I answered, "I can't tell you."

"Oh, you can't tell me, huh? Why is that?"

"Because it's embarrassing." _The man didn't have to know that barely touching the back of my thighs was a turn on, now did he?_

He gave me that panty-melting grin and asked, very seriously, "Is it horrible?"

_Fuck yeah, it's horrible! But I can't really be like, 'Uh, no. it's actually very wonderful and I wouldn't mind if your hands traveled 'round to my front side and paid it some attention too'._

I did my best to look serious, failing miserably in the attempt, as I nodded.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked with that same grin in place.

Biting the inside of my lip, I nodded back meekly.

He leaned down towards me and whispered in my ear, "Too bad."

I shrieked again as his hands continued their light assault of my body, bee-lining from my thighs to my waist as he sat back up on the couch.

Without realizing it, my shirt had ridden up to right below my bra. His fingers stilled on my waist, each one holding onto my side firmly as his thumbs smoothed across my skin.

Gone was the playful atmosphere, and in its place, tension filled the air.

_What's he going to do now? Why is he just looking at me? _

The light color that had filled his eyes earlier had been replaced by a dark, smoldering green color. Gone was the playful atmosphere. In its place was a charge of electricity from the energy that always seemed to flow between us. My already fast heartbeat thudded more forcefully in my ears.

I licked my lips.

And with that, I was done for.

His lips crashed down to mine in a fevered kiss that truly spoke of need and passion.

A wanton moan came out of nowhere from me as his chest crushed down to my own. His weight was comforting, surrounding me with his scent.

I nipped at his lower lip, and then gently sucked on it and soothed it with my tongue. His answering groan told me that I was doing something right.

My hands reached up to grab a hold of his hair, soft and silky in my palms, and lightly pulled.

His mouth opened to mine, and our tongues, hesitant but determined, entangled. He tasted like mint and coffee and… Edward.

I could literally eat him up all day long, he tasted that good.

I whimpered, my panties becoming much too wet for my comfort.

One of his hands stayed on my waist, still rubbing absentminded swipes against my skin with his thumb, as the other traveled up to caress the side of my face and tangle into my hair. In time with our tongues slipping into the other's mouth, his hand massaged my scalp, sending me into a trance-like state.

There's only so much kissing a person can take before they have to come up for air. I broke away from his lips, gasping as they traveled along my cheek and blazed a trail to my ear. He nibbled on the lobe gently, and I swear to all that was holy, my eyes rolled back into my head.

Needing to perpetrate some kind of torture back to him, one of my hands scrambled down from his hair to travel down his side. I managed to get it under his shirt and run my hand slowly up his back, and then lightly dug my nails in as I brought it down.

His answering hiss in my ear sent me on overdrive, my hips bucking up at the sound he made alone.

I needed some sort of friction against my lower half. The part of me that was singing, 'We might be getting la-a-id. We might be getting la-a-id' desperately wanted to, in fact, get la-a-id.

Just as Edward moved from my ear lobe down to my neck, first breathing lightly onto it, my back arched from intense shivers.

"Oh, Jesus!" I whimpered, breathing heavily.

I couldn't stand it any longer. Being the semi-clumsy girl I was, I somehow managed to get one of my legs onto his other side, only kneeing him in the ribs once in my attempt.

With this new position, his hips settled onto mine and I could fully feel his erection.

_Holy Hell, he's huge!_

_And hard, so very, very, deliciously hard._

_Remember the basics, Bella. Tab E fits into Slot B. _

_Repeatedly. _

_Until you both explode._

_Were we really going to…? _

_Oh no, this is way, way too early._

Edward's lips choose that moment to latch onto the sensitive skin of my neck, sucking and licking, and biting there until I thought I'd pass out from the sensations coursing through my body. As he bit at the particularly sensitive area of the crook of my neck, my muscles had no control as my hips flew upward once again. This time they came into contact with the large bulge in his pants and neither of us could help the moans that were let loose.

_God, I want to do that again. That sound he makes goes straight to my lady bits and the feel of his hard on against my throbbing clit is the sweetest sin I've ever known._

The hand that had been massaging my scalp came down to my shoulder, then slowly slid down my front until it rested on the area of skin above my breast, where my heart was beating furiously fast.

He broke away from my neck to look into my eyes, silently asking for permission to touch me there.

_DO IT!_, part of me screamed.

_IT'S TOO SOON!_, my little Miss-Inner-Good-Girl, countered.

I took a deep breath, and burped. Honestly, it was the most humiliating thing in the world, but all I could do was laugh my oxygen deprived head off as I brought my face forward in a vain attempt to hide. Edward thought it was pretty hilarious too; he started laughing before I had, the jerk!

Bringing my hand up to my mouth, I apologized, "I'm sorry, I-"

There was a knock on the door.

Three, short little raps against my door had my heart racing faster than it had been while Edward and I were making out.

It was the, 'Oh my God, I'm going to get caught masturbating' feeling.

He backed up on the couch to give me some space to get up. I wasn't sure if my legs would actually function or not; my muscles felt like jelly.

I slowly swung my leg around and sat up, putting my head in my hands and rubbing it slowly to try and make the evidence of what Edward and I had been doing go away. What had just happened was personal; I didn't want any witnesses. I figured if my entire face looked flushed and red, then my lips wouldn't stand out too much. As it was, they throbbed with warmth in time with my heartbeat.

He sat on the cushion of the couch on his haunches, leaned forward and gave me a quick peck on the lips before standing up and adjusting the bulge in his jeans.

After helping me to stand without wobbling, I walked to the front door and braced myself. Edward stood behind me, one hand on the small of my back as I unlocked the door and swung it open.

Alice, dressed in a white and pink polka dotted tank top with black Capri's and silver flip-flops, stood before us with one hand on her hip, and the other poised at her chin in thought. "So I was thinking about Halloween…"

XOXOXOXO

Okay, so I know the recording thing may not be possible in RL legally, but just chalk it up to artistic license in this instance.

"Chances" is being featured on a blog, under the "What's In Our Inbox" page, www(dot)twi-ficpromotions(dot)blogspot(dot)com(backslash)p(backslash)whats-in-our-inbox(dot)html. Everyone who reads and loves "Chances" will be able to tell others how much and why. Just send an e-mail to kellytfp(at)gmail(dot)com with your reasons. Your praise will be added to the page as well. If any of you do, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

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	16. Um Yeah, About That

I'm so sorry for the EPIC FAIL everyone! I hope you don't flay me alive…

XOXOXOXO

Chapter 16: Um… Yeah, About That…

XOXOXOXO

After I'd invited Alice in, the rest of the night flew by. The three of us sat around my living room and talked about what had happened with Tanya at the hospital earlier. Then, since making-out seriously makes your insides and brainwaves go fuzzy, it was time for Edward to get back to his dorm so that he could work on some homework and get to sleep for an early class the next morning. Yeah, my sense of time was way off.

Four hours only seemed like ten minutes. Well, time flies when you're having fun, right?

Edward left with a peck to my cheek and a verification of meeting up the next day. Eventually, after facing the Spanish Inquisition from Alice, she went home too.

My constant refrain was, "Alice, I don't know."

I hated not knowing.

I had told her about the conversation Edward and I had at the hospital earlier in Carlisle's office. She gave me that hopeful, but worried, expression that usually meant; "I'm happy things are working out for you, but I know that something's going to happen".

It didn't make my dreams that night bright and sunshiny, that's for damn sure.

I dreamt, yet again, that I was being chased through a maze. Only this time, Edward was there in my mind, giving me false directions. Every time I turned the way he said to go, it lead to a dead end. I'd have to twirl around, my heart racing inside my chest and try to start back from the beginning.

I'd never been happier to wake up before in my life.

I was fidgety all day. It was like I was cranked up on a sugar high and everything was just screaming at me to give them my entire attention span.

_Focus on me! _

_No, here, you need to pay attention to me! _

_But it'll be better if I'm the thing you're looking at!_

I needed air. The walls were closing in on me and I needed to get out of my apartment.

Grabbing a clean shirt, a pair of shorts and my mp3 player, I headed to the apartment complex's gym. Burning some excess energy could make my head less _Ohh, squirrel!_ worthy.

The thing I loved most about this gym was the fact that not a lot of people used it during the week as everyone was at their 9 to 5 job or at school. Working out in front of others made me extremely self conscious. I was relieved to see that no one was in the gym when I walked in.

Closing the door and setting my things down, I jammed the ear-buds of my music player in my ears and set one of the stationary bikes on a program that didn't scream _Faster, you lazy, over-weight couch potato!_ and got to work.

Every rotation of my feet was propelling me farther and farther into the maze in my head, the music in my ears doing nothing to drown out the pounding of my heart inside my chest. My breathing was coming in as sharp gasps and leaving me in breathless pants. Sweat started beading on my forehead.

I needed to get away; far, far away.

The machine beeped, the force going slack as the momentum in my legs kept the pedals turning over and over.

I couldn't stop, I had to keep moving.

The next step, I had to take the next step.

_Faster._

_Harder._

I reset the machine to the next level.

I was on fire. My lungs burned, my mind was blank, my eyes clenched tightly shut so that I didn't get sweat in them, my legs screaming at me to just stop and let them rest for one fucking minute.

But I didn't have a minute.

I didn't even have a second.

Because I felt like there was someone watching me, chasing me, trying to get me.

And I couldn't let that happen.

I willed myself to go faster, to get farther away from whoever was after me.

My heart beat was the only sound in my ears. The full battery of my music player had died and I was only left with my pulse pounding in my ears and my breaths entering and exiting my mouth. _How long have I been here already?_

A tingling sensation rippled down my back, and shivering, I opened my eyes just as the door to the gym slammed shut.

Startled, I nearly jumped out of the seat of the bike. I knew, I just knew, that I'd closed it when I had walked in.

Had I been so 'in the zone' that I didn't notice someone else walk in, exercise along with me and leave?

Yeah, that must've been it.

My whole body was tingling; the blood rushing through my veins so fast my head was spinning. I pulled the buds out of my ears and the room was eerily quiet, a high pitched note resonating in my ears as my hearing readjusted itself. My breathing was starting to slow down, and I desperately wished that I'd brought along a water bottle.

Shakily I got up out of the seat and suddenly fell to my knees on the carpet.

I blinked slowly, not comprehending why I was on the floor at first.

I didn't even stretch.

_Aces, Bella._

I shook my head at my own stupidity. By not stretching, I could've done some serious damage to my ankle, or worse, to any of my other important muscles.

Because another injury is just what my dad's insurance needed.

My breathing was starting to return to normal, so I figured it was probably safe for me to try and get to my feet again.

I'd just have to walk back to my apartment _really_ slow.

Gingerly, I got back to my feet. Though my muscles felt like jelly, they could still support my weight. Slowly, I made my way from the gym back to my place, shuffling one foot in front of the other.

The stairs were almost as fun as having both of my legs amputated without having any sort of anesthetic.

_Oh joy._

I had splinters in my hands from gripping the railing, and once inside I did a weird run/shuffle/limp to the fridge for a bottle of water. I gulped it down so fast; I had a difficult time trying to keep myself from throwing up.

_Next time you go on an exercising binge, make sure you prepare yourself first, dimwit._

Slouching against the kitchen counter, I lazily took a glance at the microwave clock.

Quarter after three.

_SHIT! I couldn't have been in the gym that long! Edward's going to be here in half an hour and I still have to shower! Fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck!_

Ignoring the pain in my thighs, I sprinted into my bathroom and flung myself into the shower.

Okay, so I didn't really fling myself into the shower, but I did step into the tub carefully and scrubbed like there was no tomorrow.

I was out of the shower, brushing my teeth with a towel wrapped around my body when Edward knocked on the door. I rushed out of the bathroom, opened the door for him and promptly scurried back into the bathroom to spit.

"I'm so sorry, Edward! I lost track of time and, well, you can see I'm trying to hurry," I yelled towards my bedroom, hoping he'd hear me.

I quickly wiped my mouth and barreled through my room to pick out an outfit.

"Its okay, Bella, I'm early anyways," Edward said from my doorway. I spun around with a gasp and held back a chuckle as I took in his posture. He stood leaning casually against the doorframe with one arm across his chest while the other was held in front of his eyes. I decided that he needed a reward for being a gentleman, so after I quickly dressed in a loose pair of jeans and a three-quarter sleeved navy blue baseball tee, I leaned on my tip-toes and kissed him lightly.

I felt him smirk against my lips as I whispered, "You can open your eyes now."

God, I loved his eyes. They were always the most perfect color of evergreen trees; they reminded me of Christmas.

"Hi," he whispered against my lips, my favorite lopsided grin of his appearing against my flesh.

I pecked him lightly once again and grabbed my purse. We were out the door not more than five minutes later and heading towards the mall. Edward needed to pick up something and it had been too long since I'd seen Jen. Edward said he'd meet me in Fuego and went off to get his errand done. Killing two birds with one stone was always a good thing in my book.

I had walked into the store only to be met by Galen and our regional manager, Ryan. He was a slightly balding man who wore suits and thought that the world should revolve around organization and proper procedures. He was new to the regional manager job, and was trying to be cut-throat about what his stores should, or should not, be doing.

"What a pleasure it is to see you again, Bella! I take it your not working today?" Ryan asked as he took in my casual clothes.

"Hey Ryan, it's good to see you, too. No, I'm not working today. I was in the area and just decided to stop by. What are you doing here?"

"Galen called and told me that I had to come in and see the new design of the back counter products he did the other day. I must say that it does make the store look a lot more professional and clean. He may have a bonus coming his way for this."

_Say what?_

"I must've heard you wrong, Ryan. You're telling me that _Galen_ is the one who did all the hard work of reorganizing the walls, wiping down all the shelves, and resetting all of the displays? _Galen_ did this the other day?"

_Funny, because I'm pretty sure that I spent my entire eight hour shift doing the exact same thing the other day, too._

"Oh yes, doesn't it look fantastic?" Ryan beamed.

"I agree, it looks great, but I'm pretty sure Galen didn't do this," I said seriously.

"Oh? Why would you say that, Bella?" Ryan turned to me with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Sir, Bella doesn't approve of my strategies. In fact, she's been opposing every move I've made to try and make this store look better ever since I started working here," Galen sputtered as he pushed through the small gap between Ryan and me.

I snorted. _What strategies was he talking about? The fine art of sitting on your ass? The delicate nuance of tip-toeing around the customer's complaints?_

Yeah, I totally don't approve of those strategies at all.

"Is this true, Bella?" Ryan asked.

"What Galen does is his own business. Not once have I ever defied a request from him or been disrespectful in any way." Yeah, I can sound proper… don't you even try to make me out to be a punk, you jackass.

Before Galen could get another rebuttal in, I spoke up and told Ryan what really happened. "_I_ did this the other day, Ryan. Check the security tapes and you'll see."

Ryan turned to Galen, "What is going on here?"

Galen's face had turned white as a ghost as he sputtered, "Sir, I- I did it. She- she doesn't know what she's talking about."

Ryan stared at him for a moment.

"This is ridiculous. Who are you going to believe, me, a manager, or her, a part-timer who's always been lazy and irresponsible?"

I turned to Galen, surprised and angry. I wasn't perfect, but my family had taught me better than to be lazy, irresponsible or ungrateful for anything I did. And damnit, I worked hard.

"Ryan, I'm not going to sit here and argue with either of you. If you check the tape, you'll see that it was me who did this wonderful job you're so thrilled about," I said matter-of-factly to my regional manager.

Then, turning to the other man, I told him what I should've told him ever since he started working at our store. "Galen, do you realize that in the three years I've worked here, I've been late only a handful of times, called in sick less than that, have filled shifts I wasn't supposed to have worked at least fifty times and haven't seen any benefit from it? I'm sick and tired of working my tail off and not getting any recognition or praise for it. I've had enough of being mistreated and taken advantage of, and the fact that you're calling me lazy and irresponsible is slander. Take a look in the mirror and you'll see the real definition of what you're trying to call me."

The look on both of their faces was priceless. Pride on one, and surprise on the other.

"Consider this my two weeks notice, Galen. I'll have it in writing to you tomorrow. Goodbye."

I turned around and walked out of the store with my head held high.

Yeah, it was a little theatrical, but I had to stand up for myself. No one else could.

I sat outside of Old Navy, which was right next to my store, waiting for Edward to return. On the one hand I was furious. _How dare Galen use me as a stepping stone for Ryan? What made him think that he could do this to me?_ And on the other, I was berating myself. _How long had he been getting away with these things? What else had I done that he'd been taking credit for? _

I was still mentally chiding myself when Edward joined me. "I thought you were going to be inside your store?" he asked as he sat down on the bench.

"Oh, well… it's not really my store anymore," I said hesitantly. Then, off of his raised eyebrows, I told him what had happened.

"That skeeving jerk! I should kick his ass for taking credit for your work!" Edward said angrily as he stood up sharply.

I grabbed a hold of his arm, "Sweetheart, its okay, just calm down. I'm not going to be working there much longer anyways, and I sort of told him off. That's all I really needed to do before I left."

His nostrils twitched as he processed my sincerity.

Okay, that was kind of hot. And, yes, it might be hot to see Edward stand up for my honor, but I didn't really expect him to go kicking anyone's ass for me. The fact that he was angry _for_ me was enough.

"If karma has any decency at all, it'll come after him. Let's just get out of here, I don't think I can stand to look at that place any longer," I told him honestly.

"Besides, I'm out of a job and I need to get a hold of Emmett before he takes back his offer," I added.

"Like Emmett would do that, especially to you."

"Especially to me? What do you mean by that?" I asked as I turned to face him.

"He loves you; you're like a little sister to him. Plus, I think if he didn't have Rosalie, he might've asked you out."

I laughed out loud at that. "Right, I haven't had a boyfriend in years, what would make Emmett want to ask me out?"

"Bella, you're beautiful and funny. I'm lucky to be with you right now. I keep looking over my shoulder to see if someone else is going to try and knock me out of the way to get at you."

_Goo. My panties have just turned into goo._

I snuggled up to him as we continued walking through the parking lot.

"No one would get the upper hand on you, Edward. Just so you know."

The devilish smirk that appeared on his face definitely destroyed my panties.

_DUWAE (pronounced like dew-ett, with the t silent) - Dead Upon Wearing Around Edward._

As we arrived and got out of the car, Emmett barreled past Edward and ran straight at me, squeezing me in his massive embrace and picking me up off of the ground before setting me back down roughly.

"What'd I tell you? At least I didn't have to look over my shoulder for him," Edward said with a chuckle as I rubbed my probably bruised ribs.

"What are you talking about?" Emmett said as he wrapped one of his beefy arms around my shoulders.

I almost sagged into the gravel with the weight of it.

"I was just telling Bella how all of these guys are into her," Edward said as we started walking towards the auto shop.

I smacked Edward across the chest. "You don't know any of that!"

"Sure I do, they're all thinking the same thing I am. Right, Emmett?"

"Yeah, Rosie's my babe, but if she wasn't, I'd totally try and get into your pants."

"That wasn't quite what I was getting at, Emmett."

"But you are, Eddie, you are," Emmett said with a sly wink to Edward.

I laughed into my hand as Edward's face flushed fifteen different shades of red.

"Come on, Rosie's in Bay 1 and she's got your truck waiting for you," Emmett said as he steered us to one of the garages.

"Thanks, Em. I really appreciate you and Rose doing this for me," I said sincerely.

"No problemo, Bellsy. Couldn't have you driving a car that pulls in the wrong direction. We're supposed to have a bad winter this year and you know how hilly Seattle is."

"That's a pretty intelligent thought, Em."

"Thanks, I got it from Edward."

I almost snorted snot out of my nose. Yeah, that would've been attractive.

Rosalie was just lowering my truck down from the lift as we walked inside.

"Hey, Bella! I'd hug you, but I'm a little greasy," she explained while waving her black hands at me.

"It's totally fine, Rose. Sweet of you to offer anyways," I said with a smile.

"Bella quit her job today," Edward stated abruptly. I glared at him sideways. I thought I would've started off the conversation by easing into it, 'Gee, Emmett, the office looks really nice since yesterday. Is your offer of working here still on the table?' Something of that sort. Not just, 'Hey, I quit. Can I still work here?'

"You did, Bella? That's great! You didn't need to be working for that jerk. He was a pompous asshat," Rose exclaimed.

"Well, technically I'm giving my two weeks notice tomorrow…" I trailed off.

"And she's going to be taking your offer, Emmett," Edward chimed in. Again, I glared at him. I was a big girl; I knew how to use my words.

_Me want job you offer._

And what was that last word? Oh, yeah.

_Please._

"Well, if you're still offering it, that is," I amended.

"Of course! I'd rather be working in the shop with Rosie anyways; this staying clean shit is hard. Let's let Rose finish here and we'll start your paperwork in the office."

I made Edward wait outside while I filled out paperwork. The truth was that I was a little miffed with him. It was like I was speaking a different language and needed him to interpret and take care of everything for me.

I watched him shuffle back to the car, kicking at the gravel like a little kid with his hands shoved into his pockets.

It made me feel like a bad parent.

It only took me fifteen minutes to fill out all of the paperwork Emmett needed, and he completely understood that I needed to finish out my two weeks at Fuego before I could start with him. He understood like that.

Rosalie was standing outside with Edward when I came out of the office.

"Just think about it, okay Edward?" she was saying as I got closer to them.

He nodded, looking glumly at his crossed arms.

"Edward, what happened in there?" I asked as I came to a stop in front of him.

"I'm just going to, uh… leave," Rose said hesitantly, like she didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.

I turned to her, "Thanks for everything, Rosalie. I really appreciate it."

She smiled at me before walking towards the office.

I stared at Edward for a minute before asking him what had happened again.

"Edward? What's up?"

"I… I don't know what happened, Bella. I mean, it just rushed out of me," he said softly, finally looking up at me as he leaned back against the hood of his Volvo.

"It seemed to me like you didn't think I would really take the job offer. That or you are more excited about my leaving Fuego than I am," I suggested.

"You don't deserve to be there! They treated you like trash and you just needed to get away from that kind of harassment."

"I understand, Edward. That's why I decided to leave in the first place. But why didn't you let me do the talking with Emmett? Even if he is a friend, he's still an employer and that wasn't very professional, letting someone else do the talking for me." I was trying my best not to get upset with him. He was trying to help me, that was his motive, and I didn't want to be mad at someone for helping me out. But I had things under control.

I _always_ had things under control.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't think you would-"

"Did you think that I would mess it all up?" I thought suddenly, my mental filter going _WEEOOH WEEOOH WEEOOH_ as my lips said the words.

Suddenly I felt betrayed, and now I was definitely getting angry.

"What? No! Nothing like that, Bella, I swear!" Edward pleaded with me, his green eyes widening as he pushed off against his car and came towards me with his arms outstretched.

_He doesn't think you're capable of doing anything right. He's unsure about your ability to get things done._

_He doesn't trust you. He thinks you'll fail._

_You _always_ fail._

_Failure._

I wasn't having any of his excuses, though. I had enough self doubt in my life without him adding to my already overflowing heap of it.

"Thank you, Edward, for giving me a ride here. I'm pretty sure I can make my own way home, though. I'll talk to you later," I said automatically as I went back towards the garage.

I needed to get my truck and I needed to get out of there, ASAP.

"Bella, no! Wait, please!" his tortured voice filled my ears as my legs pushed me further away from him. I heard his feet crunching on the gravel as he sprinted after me.

"I need to do some thinking, Edward. Please, let me think."

"I will, but you need to understand that I just want the best for you. I want you to be happy."

_Why, so he can feel good about himself?_ I wasn't like one of the sick kids at the hospital that he played video games with and cheered up.

"I'm not a charity case," I spat out cruelly, my mind racing ahead of my logical thoughts. The crunching of gravel stopped behind me and I kept moving away.

Tanya wasn't a charity case.

She had everything. Looks, money, connections.

Who was I?

I was a no one. I was meager little Isabella Swan, out of the way, live in a hole, hermit.

I didn't go out, I didn't date. I didn't do social gatherings because I wasn't very good at them.

He didn't need me. He wanted to see me happy because it would be another notch in his karma belt.

Do something for someone insanely less fortunate than yourself and feel good about it.

_Ulterior motives, Bella. Always consider that. It's not because you're worth something, it's because they need it for themselves. Don't trust anyone._

Never_ trust anyone._

Rose was backing my truck out of the garage. As soon as I reached the cab, she had it in park and was waiting for me.

"Thanks Rose. Something came up and I have to jet. I'll talk to you later," I forced out the lie with a fake smile and gave her a quick hug.

"It's alright, Bella. I'll talk to you later, then," she said quietly.

I jumped into the truck and left without as much as a backward glance at Edward.

Emotional tears streamed down my face as I drove the highway back to my apartment. I was on auto-pilot, driving without thinking about where I was going. Before I knew it, two hours had passed and I was at Charlie's house. I knew he would still be at the station, but I had to go somewhere I felt safe.

My home no longer held that for me, with Edward's cousin living next door. I could just imagine her banging on my front door as soon as she got home from class, demanding that I talk to her about what happened. I could even hear her voice as she yelled out my name.

No, my solitude was better serviced by the chipped, peeling white paint of my childhood home.

Even back then I had been by myself; Charlie didn't hover and poke at me like a sleeping monkey in a cage at the zoo.

Parking in the driveway, I sat and stared at the house in front of me. No memories came flooding back to me, like I thought might happen. A sense of calm filled me, though, as I stared at my bedroom window.

How many late nights had I stared out that window, wondering what the future held for me? Thinking and imagining and coming up with a complete blank?

I don't know how long I sat in the truck, but when the sudden urge to pee brought me out of my reverie, it was almost completely black outside.

Slamming the truck door closed, I slowly trudged my way up the small path of stairs that led to the front door.

"Gotta pee. Don't pee. Gotta pee. Don't pee," I muttered, my legs clenching together as I walked like a penguin.

"Now, if I didn't know you were my own daughter, I would have to stop you and ask what your hooligan behind was up to."

"Dad!" I squeaked and little bit of pee was released from my bladder as his sneak attack scared me.

_Way to go, Bella, time to buy some incontinence diapers…_

"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't know you were coming out here," he said as he gave me a hug and kiss on the forehead.

His mustache tickled my hairline and as we backed away from each other I found myself subconsciously rubbing my scalp.

"It was sort of surprise to me too. I haven't seen you in a long time and I… I missed you," I finished with a hitch in my breath.

"I missed you too, Bells. But tell me, why are you waddling? Is that some kind of new trend?" My father smirked as he gestured to my legs.

I snorted. _Oops, there goes some more pee. Great. At this rate, I'll have to wear a pair of his old academy sweats home._

"No, I just really have to use the bathroom," I whined and grimaced at the same time as I bounced lightly on the spot.

Yes, I was 21 years old and I still did the potty dance.

Some things you never grow out of.

He ushered me in and I waddled unceremoniously to the bathroom.

It was the longest and happiest pee I'd taken in a long time. I breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as my butt made contact with the toilet.

As I came out and made my way into the living room, Charlie called me from the kitchen.

He'd taken off his gun holster and was sitting with the top few buttons of his uniform shirt unbuttoned at the table. He nursed a beer while there was a soda waiting for me at the other placemat. I sat down and popped the top, taking a chug from the cold beverage before really looking at my father.

It'd been a few months since I'd last seen him, and there was definitely more grey hair gracing his dark features. Some of the wiry hairs of his salt and pepper mustache were throwing mutiny and sticking out at odd angles on his lined face.

His hazel eyes looked plainly at me, waiting patiently for me to start the conversation.

"I'm… it's good to see you, Dad," I said with a lump in my throat. I never realized how much I needed my dad right at that moment. I felt like a little girl that needed to sit on her father's lap when she was upset about something.

"It's good to see you too, but I know you're not here just because you missed me. What's going on?" He said while eyeing me over the top of his Rainier beer.

Damn him and his straight to the point police training.

"I'm a good person, right?" I asked suddenly.

"Why would you be thinking that? Did something happen?" his brow furrowed with concern.

"Dad," I looked at him straight in the eyes; I needed an answer.

"Yes. You're a good person," he said sincerely with a nod of his head.

"Then why do I have to fight and claw for everything?" I asked simply. I was tired of everything being so fucking hard. I wanted something easy for a change.

"What are you fighting and clawing for?" Why does he always have to answer a question with another question? Was that what they taught him in Chief of Police school?

"Respect, equal treatment…" I hedged.

…_Affection…_

"Basic human rights? What happened at work?" They didn't call him the Chief for nothing.

I told him what had happened earlier with Ryan and Galen.

"That bastard," Charlie said after he took a swig of his beer.

"Pretty much. It makes me wonder how I can just be walked all over. I know I'm not intimidating, but really?" I scoffed as I took another drink.

"Some people think they can get away with things like that. I'm glad that you stood up for yourself, though." Praise from Charlie was an odd occurrence. I knew he was proud of me, but he didn't ever really tell me that I was doing a good job.

"I didn't think I could. I'm not used to having to defend myself like that. I'm nice, everyone likes me. No one has a problem with Bella," I snorted.

"Leave work at work, Bella," he said sternly.

"Yes Dad, but then there's my personal life. That's all messed up too," I sighed.

How did I put what was happening with Edward into words acceptable enough for Charlie?

_Dad, there's this super hot guy who's a bit over-protective and has a real nice package that I just want to bone. He's trying to take care of me, but you taught me to be independent so how do I fix this?_

Yeah, that'd go over real well, just like the sex talk he tried to have with me a few years ago.

There was a lot of blushing, a lot of stammering, and some diagrams with fruit that I still can't look at the same way ever again.

"There's a boy," he guessed.

"Yes, Dad. There's a boy," I admitted.

"Not Jacob," he said lowly. Yeah, he really did deserve the Chief of Police job.

"No, not Jacob. His name's Edward and he's a student at U-Dub," I offered. At least that would appeal to Charlie. He always wanted me to go back to school.

"Well, that's good I guess," Charlie said with a grunt before taking another sip of his beer.

"Yeah, well, he's really sweet and kind but he's…" I trailed off. _How do I finish this? _

Different?

Hott?

Overbearing?

"Is he pushing you to do something you don't want to do?" Charlie said angrily, his mustache bristling a little bit.

_I don't really think he needs to push me, I'd go along willingly. Especially if there were no clothes involved._

"No, Dad. It's nothing like that." I said quickly and I saw him visibly relax in his chair. "He's very protective and we kind of had this fight earlier."

_Fight, yelling match, interrogation… same thing, really._

I explained everything that happened at the shop.

When I was done, he was quiet for a few minutes.

He cleared his throat before speaking slowly and deliberately. "You overreacted, Bells."

"I-what?" _Chief of Police Daddy say what?_

"It's simple. He was trying to help you, and you bit his nose off for it," he said while gesturing towards me with his beer can.

Maybe his tolerance level had been lowering and he was drunk off his ass.

"I didn't… no," I shook my head. I didn't hurt Edward, he hurt _me_.

"But you did. Listen, he didn't do anything wrong, he was coaxing you along, right? He saw you in a bad predicament and helped you along to take the next step. Don't let your pride get in the way of you and this Edmund guy."

"It's Edward, Dad," I corrected automatically.

"Yeah, well, instead of disagreeing with me, you corrected his name. That means that deep down, you agree with me."

When did Charlie turn into a psychiatrist?

_Now look at these pictures here and tell me what you really see inside them._

I felt defeated, and my eyes were sore from crying. "Dad, I-"

"Don't make the same mistakes I made with your mother, Bella. I miss her and regret so many things from back then. If I hadn't let my pride get in the way, maybe some things would be different now. Tell Edward that you were wrong, sweetheart. Not because I'm telling you to, but because you are."

I slumped down in my chair, realizing that I may have overreacted with Edward earlier.

I definitely had a lot to think about on my two hour drive back to Seattle tonight.

_Damn it._

XOXOXOXO

**Mom**- For your unwavering encouragement, thank you.

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Love.


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